Where the Love Light Gleams
by Relena for President
Summary: Fighter pilot Heero Yuy is home for his first post-war Christmas, but not all is merry and bright. While trying to readjust to civilian life, he finds himself torn between the nurse who's helped heal his war wounds, and the hometown girl he's never been able to forget. AU, WWII-era.
1. If Only in My Dreams

**December 1946**

The late afternoon sky was tinged with pink and gray as the sun slipped below the cluster of brick and stone buildings, and the street lights flickered on, bathing the snow-lined sidewalks in a soft glow. Snow was in the air again, if the heavy white clouds billowing overhead were any indication; but Heero Yuy could have guessed by the familiar ache in his bad shoulder.

As usual, Heero pushed the pain deep down inside as he locked up his shop, then shoved his keys in the pocket of his leather bomber jacket. He'd deal with the barking from his old wound later. He'd have to ask Sylvia for some more of that balm she'd mixed up for him– some concoction of lavender, calendula and peppermint, and other assorted oils. Whatever it was, it seemed to be the only thing aside from a good, stiff drink that could numb the pain long enough for Heero to fall asleep at night. Also, it smelled like Christmas, if Christmas could be contained in a smell.

But then Christmas was made up of many scents: of cocoa and peppermint; vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; roasting turkey and baking pumpkin pies; a sharp inhale of spruce and pine, and freshly-fallen snow. These were scents he'd missed – craved – for two seemingly endless years, and didn't even realize how badly he'd missed them until he got to experience them again. Now, the scent that wrapped itself around him these days was the most earthy and comforting of all: wood. Firewood and blazing yule logs and, most of all, the wood carvings that littered the desk of his workshop.

It was this smell that still lingered in his nostrils long after he'd stepped away from his work for the evening. In fact, he'd technically closed up shop hours ago. In the final days leading up to Christmas, the little hardware store wasn't receiving much traffic. No, the last-minute shoppers were lining up at the butcher and the green grocer, the bakery, and the one department store in town. Heero's shop didn't offer much beyond tools, paint supplies, gardening and yard work items, along with various other odds and ends. Needless to say, he didn't have customers lining up around the block to pick up a little something for their Christmas stockings.

Which was why Heero had sent Maxwell home and turned the sign on the front door around to say "Closed" around 3 p.m., then retreated to the back room– his father's former office, now Heero's makeshift workshop.

After taking over the shop last winter, it didn't take Heero long to learn that running a small town hardware store wasn't quite time-consuming enough for the twenty-year-old, even if his old battle injuries occasionally slowed him down. And so after his workday – which started at 6 a.m. six days a week – was done, he turned to woodworking to keep his hands busy and his mind occupied. He started by refinishing his father's old furniture. Months after he'd redone the kitchen cabinets, table and chairs, as well as the bed frame and end tables, he'd picked up carving. This activity proved to be the most soothing of all. Heero found that he really enjoyed the intricacies required to craft something by hand.

Most days, Heero could whittle well into the evening, but today he'd had to abandon his handiwork earlier than he'd like. Because tonight, he had a date.

After putting away his tools and tidying his workspace, he'd taken a quick shower and attempted to tame his unruly hair with a comb before changing into the one nice dress shirt and pair of slacks he owned. He'd been sure to get them back from the cleaners in plenty of time, because he sure as hell wasn't going to attempt to launder and press his only decent outfit. That was women's work, and he wasn't about to trouble Sylvia with it, either. As a nurse, she already had plenty to do.

She wasn't a natural homemaker, and Heero didn't expect her to be, although he knew she had every intention of learning. Because she told him, all the time, that she couldn't wait to get married so she could quit her job and become a stay at home mother. It was all she'd ever wanted, she said. She was born to be a mother; she was sure of it.

Heero was sure of it, too, if only because Sylvia kept talking about it. Had been talking about it, over the past several months they'd been going together. She'd been subtle about it at first, but over the last few weeks especially, her hint-dropping had launched into a full-blown ultimatum. Sylvia wanted a ring by the end of the year, or… Well, she never actually finished the sentence, but the ending was implied.

And so Heero was faced with a deadline: buy an engagement ring for his sweetheart and give it to her before the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, or he'd find his new year would be less than sweet.

Heero sighed as he jammed his gloveless hands into his jacket pockets and strode over to his 1940 Ford F-100, his breath coming out in puffs of white clouds in front of him. He hadn't managed to find Sylvia a ring yet. Nothing that he could afford, at least. He'd made just enough from his shop over the past year to pay his overheads and keep food in his cupboards. Thankfully the GI Bill was covering his medical expenses, otherwise he'd find himself in a mountain of debt. Not exactly husband material. He worried about having to provide for another person when providing for himself was trouble enough.

Brushing the thought aside, Heero started up his truck and flicked on the radio. The strains of Judy Garland singing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" filled the cab.

"_From now on our troubles will be miles away…"_

"Speak for yourself," Heero muttered as he tapped the gas pedal and steered his car away from the curb.

Deciding he could do with something less sappy as he drove along, Heero turned the dial to a news station. He tuned in to the middle of a report on the strict rationing in England. From the gist of it, things were still a mess over there. He would have to check in with his old friend Trowa Barton; last he'd heard, the army medic was still stationed in London, where he apparently had endless work. Heero had met up with him briefly last year before catching a ship to Boston and eventually making his way home to Newport.

Rationing had been lifted for Americans last year, and for the first post-war holiday season, folks had been able to use real butter and eggs in their cooking and baking. Heero had missed out on all the holiday food while he'd been in the hospital, though. This year, he was looking forward to sampling some homemade pies at Christmas dinner with the Noventas. An event Heero wasn't looking forward to otherwise, but that he was willing to tolerate, knowing the food would be good and plentiful.

Sylvia's grandparents owned a modest two-story Cape in Middletown, a short drive from Newport. Heero was pulling into their driveway not fifteen minutes after leaving downtown.

Colored lights were strung up around the four first floor windows on the front of the house, as well as the two dormers on the second floor. Heero was surprised Sylvia's grandfather, Marshall, had gotten up on a ladder to string up the second floor lights, although the retired police chief was still pretty spry. Heero didn't see the utility in decorating for the holidays, but told himself he should appreciate the cheerful sight. After all, there were far worse sights to see.

Taking a deep, steadying breath, Heero cut the engine and swung open his car door, then trudged his way to the front of the house. He had stared death in the face from the cockpit of his P-51B Mustang; surely he could face a nineteen-year-old girl and deliver some less than pleasant news.

Maybe he was making a bigger deal out of this than he had to; Sylvia would be fine, probably.

He hoped.

Heero had barely rapped out a knock when the front door was yanked open, and he found himself face to face with a stern-looking Marshall Noventa.

"Yuy." The older man gave him a curt nod. "Sylvia's almost ready; come on in out of the cold." Despite his words, there wasn't a trace of warmth in the man's lined face and steely eyes. But Heero was used to being around men equally as taciturn. He wasn't exactly mister warm and fuzzy himself.

"Thank you," Heero said gruffly.

Marshall stepped aside to let Heero enter the house, although the other man's reluctance was as telltale as his clenched jaw. Heero wasn't sure why the man disliked him so much, though if he were to venture a guess, he'd wager it had something to do with his half-Japanese heritage. But Heero was only Japanese on his mother's side and didn't speak a lick of the language; most of the time, he passed as white just fine. It was only his name that gave people pause, and yet most folks just called him "Hero" because they couldn't pronounce it properly. It had even taken Sylvia a few tries before she mastered it. Marshall didn't bother, referring to Heero exclusively by his last name. Something else Heero was used to from his time in the service, so it didn't annoy him as much as Marshall was probably hoping it would.

For now, Heero stood in the foyer with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets, keeping his eyes trained on the landing at the top of the stairs, waiting for Sylvia to appear. He braced himself for a few minutes of awkward small talk with Marshall that was sure to feel like an eternity, but thankfully the other man stayed silent as he, too, stared up at the stairs.

Salvation appeared in the form of Heero's girlfriend in an evergreen dress, the perfect complement to her eyes. Sylvia's grandmother, Marie, appeared on the landing behind her.

"Doesn't she look simply darling?" Marie gushed, beaming at her granddaughter and then her husband. Her smile only wavered briefly when she looked down to where Heero stood waiting by the front door. At least Marie seemed to be warming up to him, a little.

"You look beautiful," Heero said to Sylvia, meaning it. She flashed him a full-watt smile and primly descended the stairs in her matching high heels.

"You like the dress, then?" She reached the bottom of the stairs and did a little spin, sending the full skirt swooshing.

"Very much," Heero said, fully aware of Marshall's eyes boring holes into his skull.

"I'll get your coat, dear," Marie said, darting over to the coat closet and rushing back over holding a plaid wool coat that matched Sylvia's dress exactly. She held the coat open and Sylvia stepped into it, then kissed both of her grandparents on the cheek before lacing her arm through Heero's and steering him out the door.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Sylvia murmured, squeezing Heero's arm as they made their way over to his truck.

"Hm," he grunted in reply. She shook her head at him while he busied himself opening the passenger door for her.

"They like you just fine, Heero, honest. There's really nothing to worry about."

"Uh-huh." He took Sylvia's hand and helped her climb onto her seat, then shut the door and went around to the driver's side. Sylvia continued to reassure him as he started the engine and backed his truck out of the driveway, and onto the street filled with houses just like the Noventa's, all sporting similar holiday lights. It was getting dark, and the whole street was starting to resemble a toy store's candyland of gingerbread houses.

"_A beautiful sight, we're happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland," _the radio sang out at them. Heero had turned the music station back on, mainly for Sylvia's benefit.

"Don't you just love this time of year?" Sylvia let out a wistful sigh.

"Uh-huh."

"Chatty, aren't we?" Sylvia teased, reaching over to grasp Heero's forearm. He shrugged one shoulder, figuring she was used to his stoic ways by now. If she wasn't, she might as well try to be before they got married, otherwise she'd be in for a lifetime of frustration.

"You're not nervous about the party, are you? It's only a dance. And anyway, all our friends are going to be there."

By "their" friends, she really meant hers. Heero had only a few friends left living in the area, including his fellow pilot Duo Maxwell, who had followed Heero back to Newport after the war because he, like Heero, had no living family. They'd roomed together for a few months earlier that year, that was until Heero introduced Duo to Hilde Schbeiker, a local girl Heero had gone to school with. It wasn't long before Duo and Hilde ended up getting hitched– much to Sylvia's irritation. Heero had to wonder if their sudden marriage was the straw that broke the camel's back on Sylvia's personal engagement timeline. Heero tried to remind Sylvia that Duo was crazy, but that didn't seem to make her feel any better.

"Heero?" Sylvia waved a hand near his face. "Are you even listening to me?"

He'd been half-listening. "I'm fine." Whatever she'd just said, that answer would probably suffice.

"I _asked_ if you had anything on your mind that you might want to talk about, in particular, but…" Sylvia heaved a deep sigh and turned her gaze out the passenger window. "Evidently not."

There was something they needed to discuss, but now was hardly the time. Heero didn't want to spoil her evening. He was only going to this stupid party for her, after all.

"Are you excited about the dance?" Heero asked in the most cheerful tone he could muster. Which sounded false in his own ears, but he was trying his best to be upbeat around his girlfriend.

"Should I be?" Sylvia turned back around to face him, hope dancing in her eyes.

Heero returned his gaze to the road, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. "I mean… I don't see why not," he answered vaguely.

"I knew it," Sylvia said in a tone that made it hard to discern whether she knew there was nothing particularly special about that night to be excited about, or whether she thought there was. Either way, Heero was bound to disappoint her. And if he kept talking, he was only going to dig his own grave deeper and deeper.

So Heero turned up the radio and let the music do the talking for him. To his chagrin, Sylvia started singing along to the unfortunate lyrics.

"_In the meadow we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is Parson Brown… He'll say, 'Are you married?' We'll say, 'No, man... But you can do the job when you're in town…'"_

* * *

"_Later on, we'll conspire as we dream by the fire… We'll face unafraid the plans that we've made, walking in a winter wonderland…"_

The strains of the radio drifted up the stairs from the living room to Relena Darlian's bedroom, where she sat at her vanity, carefully unpinning her curls one by one. Her curls weren't quite as bouncy as she was hoping for, though. So Relena took a chance and ran her brush over her hair, transforming her wayward curls into soft waves that tumbled around her shoulders. She smiled at her reflection, glad that she had decided to wear her hair down.

"Relena!" her mother Mareen called up from downstairs. "Are you nearly ready? Your father's warming up the car!"

"Coming, Mother!" Relena tried to pick up the pace, but she didn't want to damage her hair, either. She had already applied her makeup, at least; her hairstyle was the final touch. She set the brush down on top of her vanity and fluffed her hair with her fingers. Once she was satisfied, she doused her head with hairspray, then spritzed herself in the face, for good measure. Her college roommate had taught her that trick, and it worked wonders for keeping her makeup in place.

Giving herself a final glance in the mirror, Relena got up, smoothed out the taffeta skirt of her blue dress, and bounded down the stairs.

"Careful, Relena, or you'll trip and rip your dress!" Mareen admonished her from the bottom of the stairs.

"I am being careful," Relena insisted. "See? I don't even have my shoes on yet." She tipped her head and smiled up at her mother, who looked like an older version of Relena, with the same honey-blonde hair and sapphire eyes. "Speaking of, have you seen them?"

"Right here…" Mareen moved over to the door and retrieved a pair of snow boots, which Relena regarded with dismay.

"Mother! I can't show up to the dance in _those_."

"It's rather icy out there. I don't want you falling and breaking your neck."

"Mother…" Relena groaned. "None of the other girls will be wearing boots with their dresses, I promise you."

"Well, you can wear yours outside and put your heels on once you're inside," Mareen said. "As I'm sure plenty of the other girls will do."

"Fine," Relena sighed, already deciding that she'd change out of her boots and into her heels while she was still in the car. It was already mortifying enough that her father was dropping her off at the dance; she didn't need to draw any further attention to herself.

Her father, Reverend John Darlian, came in from outside just then, rubbing his bare hands together.

"Cold out there," he warned, turning twinkling brown eyes on Relena. "You look beautiful, love, but I hope you'll be warm enough in that dress."

"I'll be fine, Father." Relena waved a hand. "The dance is _indoors_, you know."

"Right, but shouldn't you at least wear a sweater or jacket over it?" John looked to Mareen for help. "Isn't off the shoulder a little… risque for a community dance?"

"Daddy," Relena moaned. "You already said the dress was fine! And anyway, it's a dance, not Sunday school." She planted her hands at her hips.

"All right, all right." John held up his hands and sighed. "Let's get your coat and get going. I wouldn't want you to miss out on any youthful shenanigans."

"Mother, please tell Father that dances are a typical rite of passage for teenage girls, and remind him of how many I missed out on while attending an all-girls high school?" Relena batted her eyes at Mareen. "And last year, I couldn't even get home for _this_ dance because of all the travel restrictions…"

"Home for Christmas, you mean," John teased.

"She's right, dear," Mareen cut in. "We wouldn't want Relena to miss out on any more of these social events with people her age. You never know…" she added with a conspiratorial smile. "She could meet her husband tonight."

Relena nearly gagged at the thought. "Considering I've already met every available man in our town, that's highly unlikely."

Mareen shrugged. "Maybe someone will bring a friend."

"As their date, I'm sure," Relena shot back. "And anyway, I've already told you, I don't want to get married; at least not until I've finished school. I have _plans_."

"Plans change." Her mother smiled knowingly at her father. "You'll see when you meet the right man."

"If you say so," Relena sighed, knowing it was a pointless argument.

The truth was, she had very high standards for any potential future husband. She wasn't going to settle for just anyone.

Not after she'd already had her heart broken, once. He was a local boy and so far Relena had managed to avoid running into him, mostly by throwing herself into volunteering to help with the Christmas pageant at church. She decided that keeping herself busy was the best way she could spend her holiday break. Tonight's dance was another distraction, and Relena wasn't worried about running into _him_ there; it wasn't his sort of thing.

It's not that she didn't _want_ to see him; of course she did. She was happy knowing he had made it home safely, at least. But it had been so long since they'd last spoken – over five years – so if they did happen to see each other again, Relena didn't know what they would even say to one another.

Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.

Relena tried to recollect her scattered thoughts as her father drove her to the recreation center downtown, Christmas music blaring from the car radio all the while.

"_Christmas Eve will find me… where the love light gleams… I'll be home for Christmas… if only in my dreams…"_

"If only in my dreams…" Relena sang along softly.

"Here we are," her father announced as he guided his Chevy Coupe into a vacant parking spot. He twisted in his seat to look at Relena sternly. "Now, I'll be back at nine p.m. sharp to pick you up. Is that clear?"

"Nine o'clock? But Daddy, some of the other kids will probably go to Leo's afterward… Can't I just get a ride home?" She was sure at least one of her friends could give her a ride later. It was one thing to get dropped off at a co-ed dance by her father; it would be far more embarrassing to have him pick her up, especially so early.

"We have church in the morning," he reminded her.

"I know; I promise I won't stay out too late."

"Define 'too late.'"

"I don't know… ten, eleven?" Relena sighed at the look on his face. "You know, our parties go much later in college..."

"I don't want to hear about any parties at that school I'm paying so much to send you to." Her father glowered at her.

"But, Daddy…"

"Ten o'clock at the latest, and you'll call me and let me know who I should expect to see dropping you off."

"Yes, Daddy," Relena said solemnly. Oh, well; at least she'd managed to strike a compromise.

After replacing her boots with her patent leather heels, Relena exited the car and gave her father a little wave. She waited until his car was nearly out of sight before heading into the rec center, mindful of every step on the icy pavement. The last thing she needed was to fall flat on her face in front of all her peers. Without an escort to hold her arm, the trek from the sidewalk, up the stairs and into the building was more treacherous than Relena had anticipated. Perhaps her mother had been right about the boots…

But Relena managed to get herself safely up the steps and into the gymnasium that was serving as a makeshift dance hall. As soon as she stepped through the doors, warmth enveloped her from the heat blasting in the large room, which was already full of bodies. Mostly couples, many of whom were already dancing to Christmas music being played by a live band that was set up on a stage at the far end of the room.

"_I can't remember a worse December, just watch those icicles form…" _The band's slick-haired lead singer crooned into his microphone. "_What do I care if icicles form? I've got my love to keep me warm…"_

Relena stood for a moment, watching all the dancing couples before shedding her coat and leaving it at the coat check. She was glad she'd ignored her father's suggestion of bringing a sweater; she definitely wasn't going to need one. But perhaps she should have heeded one piece of parental advice, and taken her mother up on her offer to fix Relena up with someone from church. She hadn't wanted to endure an awkward date with a stranger, but it probably would have been less awkward than showing up to a dance all alone.

Relena clasped her hands together and glanced about the room, looking for her friends, but she didn't see them yet. While she waited, she took in the cheery holiday decorations. Whoever had decorated had gone all out; not only were there colorful paper streamers hanging from the ceiling, but also row upon row of garland wrapped with twinkle lights. It was the first time in a long time Relena had seen anything besides paper decorations at a Christmas party, and it was nothing short of delightful. Best of all, in the corner stood the largest Christmas tree Relena had ever seen indoors, and it was positively dripping with tinsel.

Her only critique of the decorations was that someone had clearly gotten carried away with the mistletoe; it was hanging in every corner of the room, which was going to make avoiding it all the more difficult. _Oh, for crying out loud…_

Relena decided it was probably safest to just linger by the punch bowl. So while she waited for her friends, she got herself a cup, but nearly spit out her first sip. Someone had clearly spiked the punch, and whatever was in there was much too strong for her tastes. Then again, a strong drink might be just what she needed to dull her nerves. And so before Relena could talk herself out of it, she tipped back her drink, then immediately got herself a refill.

Now, a pleasant buzz was crawling up the back of her neck, and warmth bloomed in her chest. Relena smiled and tapped her heeled toes to the music. But after a few minutes, the room became intolerably hot, so she headed outside to the back patio for some fresh air.

Ice-cold air kissed her face as she pushed open one of the double doors and slipped out into the night. It was early evening but the sky was already dark and twinkling with stars, the moon a crescent sliver above.

As Relena let go of the door, she realized she was not alone outside. The outdoor light shone on a dark-haired man with his back to Relena, his head tilted up at the night sky. He was wearing a brown leather bomber jacket with a shearling collar along with black dress slacks, both hands in his pockets. Relena edged backward, about to hightail it back inside – she was too woozy to attempt making small talk with a stranger – but the door slammed shut behind her. The noise caused the stranger to turn around.

Only, when his gaze met Relena's, she immediately realized he wasn't a stranger.

Relena opened her mouth to speak, but her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the midnight blue eyes she had never quite been able to clear from her mind.

He spoke before she did, his voice deeper than she had ever heard it, his chest a low rumble as he said her name.

"Relena?"

* * *

_A/N: Ho ho ho... here's a little early Christmas gift for my readers! This story is also dedicated to my friend Mistaken-Miracles on her birthday... Happy birthday, lady! I hope you enjoy the fluff! :D_

_Yes, I figured that I owe all of you some mushy 1xR after posting mostly angsty stuff this year. So we're going to close out the year with this serial. I'm going to do my best to update it as much as possible before Christmas, so keep an eye out! I have always wanted to write a fic set during World War II, and I've always been meaning to write a longer Christmas story, so... this is my attempt to cobble those two things together. I love the holiday movies that were made during that time period, so if you've seen the classics, you'll note a lot of influences here. Anyway, I hope you like it! _

_Xoxo darlings,_

_\- RFP_


	2. I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm

At last, she found her voice. "Heero?" She took a tentative step toward him, peering closely at his handsome face. Time had been more than kind to him. The last time she'd seen him, he'd been a gangly boy of fifteen; now, he was all man, tall and strapping, but still sporting the same floppy hairstyle he'd had as a kid. He must have grown it out after the war ended, and Relena was glad he did.

"Is that really you?" she breathed.

She knew it had to be, but also thought she might be hallucinating. That punch had been pretty strong, after all, and she'd had two glasses…

His eyes sparked, his lips quirking at the sides. "Is that really _you_?"

Relena laughed and, forgetting herself entirely, all but threw herself into his arms. Heero caught her by the waist and pressed her to his chest as Relena wrapped her arms around his neck. They held onto one another tightly for a moment before Heero pulled back to look at her, his gaze sweeping over her.

"You look…" He finished his sentence by simply arching a brow.

"Different?" Relena offered, smiling up at him. "So do you."

"I was going to say beautiful, but yeah."

Relena flushed. "Thank you. So do you."

Heero huffed a laugh. "Thanks. I've always wanted someone to call me beautiful."

"I'm surprised no one has," Relena teased. "Although I'm sure you had plenty of girlfriends to tell you that while you were overseas."

Heero shrugged. "There wasn't really time for that sort of thing, but…" He frowned at her. "You must be freezing. Here." Before Relena could stop him, he was shrugging out of his jacket and placing it over her shoulders, leaving him in his dress shirt and tie.

She smiled as the soft shearling touched her skin. His jacket was so warm, and best of all, it smelled like Heero. Like… gunpowder and cinnamon.

There were so many things she wanted to say to him, so much ground they needed to cover… so much had happened in the last five years. For all she knew, he was a completely different person than the boy she'd known.

But he still had that old look in his eyes; the quietly observant expression that always brought to mind the saying, "Still waters run deep." As always, Relena longed to know exactly what was on his mind as he stood regarding her thoughtfully. His gaze was serious, but there was that familiar glimmer in his eyes that held a certain fondness Relena always felt Heero reserved just for her.

Now, she was just happy he was standing here before her. She had heard the Air Force pilot had returned to Newport last year, but there was still so much she didn't know about his time in the war. She wanted to know everything.

Just like that, her fear of running into him again had vanished. It turned out that she needn't worry about what they had to say to one another; there was plenty, but they would catch up eventually. They had all the time in the world.

For now, Relena decided to start with the basics. "How are you?" she murmured. "Really?"

She couldn't resist bringing her hand up to touch his face. Heero reached up and clasped her hand in his, her left in his right.

"Better now," he answered, his fingers tracing over hers. "So… you're not married," he added. Relena's cheeks heated.

"No. Neither are you." If he were, Relena would have undoubtedly heard by now. The town, not to mention the church, was full of gossips.

"No, I'm not." Heero quieted and released her hand.

"Oh!" Relena gasped. "I wanted to tell you… I'm so sorry about your father. My parents and I attended his wake…"

"Thank you," Heero said gruffly, lowering his gaze. "I appreciate that."

"I'm sorry that you couldn't make it home for the funeral," Relena added softly. "That must have been so hard for you…"

"It's all right," Heero said with a shrug. "I didn't especially want to be there."

Relena frowned, fingering the collar of Heero's jacket around her shoulders. She knew that he and his birth father hadn't been especially close, and undoubtedly Heero had mixed emotions about Odin's passing.

"Well, I think it's wonderful that you took over the hardware store for him."

Heero shrugged again. "Had to work somewhere."

Relena pursed her lips. Clearly this part of the conversation was making him uncomfortable, and that was the last thing she wanted to do.

She reached for both of his hands. "I'm glad that you're home."

"So am I," he said, giving her a rare smile. "It's really good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too." Relena squeezed his hands, and he squeezed hers back. "Maybe… we could catch up this week over coffee?"

His eyes gleamed. "I'd like that."

Relena felt a chill course over her then, despite the warmth of Heero's jacket, and shivered. "Should we head back inside? I hope your date won't mind if I steal you for a dance or two…"

Because she highly doubted such a handsome young soldier had come to something like this solo. And anyway, it wasn't Heero's type of scene. At least not the Heero she knew…

"I, ah…" Heero looked past her at the gymnasium door. "As long as your date won't mind if I steal you."

"Oh, I don't have a date." Relena waved a hand. Heero's eyes widened.

"You don't?"

Relena shook her head. "Nope. I've been away at school, so I didn't really have time to find one."

"Like you ever have to worry about finding a date," Heero grunted, keeping his eyes downcast.

Relena shrugged and tilted her head to the side. "What can I say? I'm picky."

"Hm." Heero stuck his hands in his pants pockets, looking as if he had no intention of going anywhere any time soon.

"So… you don't want to go back inside?"

"Not really," he answered, confirming her suspicions. But then she could spot his anti-social mannerisms from a mile away.

She reached over and poked his arm. "This reminds me of when we both hid backstage during the Christmas pageant that one year." She giggled. "We were the worst stable animals ever. Poor mother Mary."

"I was dressed as a cow," Heero deadpanned, returning his gaze to hers. A smile played on his lips. "Can you blame me?"

"Well, I was a lamb."

"You made a cute little lamb," he teased. Relena laughed again, then went utterly still as Heero reached his hand up to her face, and lightly brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "What do you say we get out of here and just… skip this whole thing."

Relena gaped up at him. "Seriously?" Her heart began to flutter wildly in her chest.

"Yeah. We could go to Leo's and grab a bite, if you want."

Relena groaned inwardly. "I'd love to, but I'm supposed to meet some friends here. But we usually all end up at Leo's anyway. So maybe after the dance?"

"Yeah, all right." Heero nodded, his mouth forming a tight line. "I guess I'm stuck here for now, anyway."

"You wouldn't want to walk out on your date, now would you?" Relena teased. But Heero's eyes darkened.

"About that…"

Relena instantly sobered at the serious look on his face. "Oh… you're not engaged, are you?"

She wanted to slap her hand over her mouth for blurting the question like that. They hadn't seen one another in ages; it wasn't any of her business whether or not he was engaged. But, then, he had seemed happy that she wasn't married. Or maybe she was just imagining things.

Stupid spiked punch, ruining her ability to think straight.

"No, I'm not engaged," Heero said, and Relena had to fight from breathing an audible sigh of relief.

"Then… what did you want to tell me?"

"It's just–"

Heero didn't get to finish his sentence. The door to the gymnasium swung open, flooding the patio with light and the sound of the band playing a lively rendition of "Jingle Bells."

At the shift in Heero's expression, Relena swiveled her head to see the source of their intrusion.

A pretty girl with bobbed blonde hair, wearing a green dress, stood in the doorway. And the look on her face told Relena everything she needed to know.

"Heero?" the girl asked shakily, her eyes darting from Heero to Relena, then back to Heero again. "What's going on?"

* * *

"She's just a friend."

Sylvia scoffed and crossed her arms over the front of her dress, avoiding Heero's eyes. "You looked pretty friendly, all right."

"We were just catching up." Heero took a step toward Sylvia, but she took one back.

"And she needed to wear _your_ jacket to do that?" Her voice cracked on her words, and her downcast eyes were pained.

Of course, Heero had offered his jacket to Sylvia after Relena had sheepishly returned it to him, then ran back inside. But Sylvia had refused, asking Heero if he was out of his "damn mind." Now, he just stood with the jacket folded over his arms, holding it in front of him like a makeshift shield between him and his angry girlfriend.

"It's cold outside," he said by way of explanation. "I didn't want the girl to catch pneumonia."

"Then why couldn't you have this all-important conversation indoors, in front of other people?" Sylvia challenged, lifting her chin. "Or do you prefer sneaking around out here in the dark?"

Heero frowned at her. "We weren't sneaking around. We happened to bump into each other out here."

"I'll say," Sylvia muttered.

"Nothing happened," Heero said automatically, feeling silly for having to defend himself. "We were just talking."

"I'm sure." His girlfriend looked anything but convinced.

Heero sighed and looked skyward. "Do you think I would try to upset you on purpose?"

He knew he'd screwed up, but he hadn't been thinking straight. After all, Relena Darlian had just appeared right in front of him without any warning. When he'd originally agreed to take Sylvia to this dance, he had no way of knowing whether or not Relena would be here. Perhaps he should have just assumed. But even if he had known, nothing could have prepared Heero for how he would feel just seeing Relena again.

"Maybe," Sylvia quipped. "You've had cold feet about getting engaged. Maybe this is why… all this time, you've been waiting for your reunion with Relena, is that it?"

"No," Heero answered honestly. "I didn't know if or when I'd ever see Relena again. We fell out of touch a long time ago."

"Until tonight, that is," Sylvia hissed.

Heero stifled a groan. "Come on, Sylvie," he said, trying on her family nickname. "You're making something out of nothing."

"Well, it didn't look like nothing!" With that, she whirled around and pushed open the gymnasium door, slamming it shut behind her, leaving Heero alone out in the cold.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you for all the love so far on this little story! I'm writing whenever I can in the hopes of getting it all posted before Christmas, so please stay tuned!_

_Love love love, _

_\- RFP_


	3. Baby Won't You Please

Relena stood at the mirror in the girls' bathroom, holding a tissue to her lash line with shaky hands. She always cried when she was embarrassed, and she hated it, but after her uncomfortable encounter with Heero's new girlfriend, Relena hadn't been able to stop the tears from springing to her eyes. Now, she was trying to avoid ruining her makeup completely.

As she dabbed at her stray mascara, her mind struggled to make sense of what had just happened. One minute, she and Heero had been talking and enjoying one another's company, like old times. It had been so lovely to see him again. She supposed they'd both gotten caught up in the moment.

And then, they'd been caught.

Relena groaned at her reflection. There was no way she could go back out there looking like this. She wished she'd brought some eye makeup to touch up with, but all she had in her evening clutch was her compact, lipstick and mints. Maybe she should just phone her father to come pick her up. No way was she going to stick around and watch Heero dancing with someone else. Especially someone who looked at Relena like she was the neighborhood harlot…

The bathroom door swung open, and Relena hoped whoever was entering was no one she knew. She glanced up, and for a moment, her troubles nearly vanished.

"Dorothy!" She rushed over to her platinum blonde friend and pulled her into a fierce hug.

"Lena darling!" Dorothy laughed and grasped her tightly. "Oh, but it's been forever!"

It had actually only been a few weeks; the two girls had met up one weekend in New York to do some Christmas shopping in the city. But seeing her best friend in the world was always a thrill.

"I'm so glad you could make it!" Relena gushed.

Dorothy grinned and patted her impeccable updo. Relena immediately envied how her friend had managed to style her bangs into flawless victory rolls, framing her heart-shaped face.

"A dance in Newport? You know I wouldn't miss it." Dorothy stepped back and gave Relena a once-over. "Love your dress. Royal blue is definitely your color."

"Thanks! I love yours, too." Relena surveyed Dorothy's a-line frock with its sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves, in Christmas red crepe. "You always look lovely in red."

"Well, look at us! Maybe we should hit the dance floor together. The fellas wouldn't be able to contain themselves." Dorothy gave her a saucy wink.

"Hmm, I wonder how your dashing fiancé would feel about that?"

Dorothy waved a hand. "Oh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Relena blinked in surprise. "He's not here?"

"He's on his way. He phoned from his office earlier. Had to finish up helping balance the books for the end of the year." Dorothy sighed and inspected her manicure. "Working up to the last minute, as usual."

"Well, he's being groomed to take over his father's business, so it makes sense," Relena offered.

"Right." Dorothy lowered her hand and smiled at Relena. "So… what's new with you? Did you manage to find a hot date for tonight?"

"Not exactly…" Relena blew out a sigh.

Dorothy frowned and peered at Relena's eyes. "What happened to your makeup, doll? I can fix it for you, if you want."

"Heero Yuy happened." Relena's shoulders sagged.

"No!" Dorothy gasped, her eyes bulging. "He's here?"

Relena nodded weakly.

Dorothy grasped Relena's hands in hers. "Tell me everything."

Relena quickly unloaded the whole sordid story, Dorothy gaping at her the entire time. When she was finished, Dorothy exclaimed, "Well, then! We need to take care of this girl."

Relena arched a brow. "Take care of her how, exactly?"

"You leave that to me, doll." Dorothy grinned menacingly, a frightening thing to behold.

"Dorothy…" Relena warned.

"I'll handle everything," her friend urged. "You just relax and enjoy the dance. I'll even loan you Quatre so you can make Heero green with envy." Dorothy's violet eyes sparkled.

Relena sighed. "Whatever you're plotting, I doubt it's going to work."

"You let me worry about that."

Relena's brow creased. "Now I'm _really_ going to worry."

Dorothy snickered.

"Look, Dorothy, I really appreciate your help, but I didn't come here to sabotage someone else's night," Relena sighed. "I just came to catch up with you and the other girls. Have you seen Eleanor, Liza or Margo yet?"

"Oh, didn't you hear? Margo's having her baby."

Relena's eyes widened. "What, already? I thought she was due after New Year's."

Dorothy shrugged. "That's what Liza heard from her friend Di, you remember, that nurse? Oh, and Eleanor came down with the flu."

"Ugh. Poor girl. Well, what about Liza? Are she and Tommy still coming?"

Dorothy smiled slyly. "If they can make it out of their car…"

Relena rolled her eyes. "Well. Their wedding is coming up soon enough."

"May," Dorothy sang. "And it's a good thing it's a month before mine, because _that _is going to be one tough act to follow." Her eyes gleamed. "It's going to be the social event of the season."

"As your maid of honor, I'm well aware..."

Dorothy clapped her hands together. "Now, what do you say we touch up your makeup, and try to salvage what's left of this evening?"

"All right," Relena said, surrendering herself to let Dorothy work her magic.

* * *

Heero wasn't the groveling sort, but he was feeling pretty damn guilty about hurting Sylvia. He knew he needed to do whatever it would take to get back in her good graces.

"Come on, Syl," he murmured, reaching up to snatch a lock of her hair. "Do you want to get out of here? I'll do whatever you want."

They were ensconced in one corner of the gymnasium, away from the dancing couples swaying in the center of the room while the band played "Baby Won't You Please Come Home." Sylvia maintained the same stance she'd had outside: arms folded over her chest, head turned to avert Heero's gaze.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she snapped.

Heero sighed and let go of her curl. "I really am sorry."

"Mm-hmm. I'm sure."

"I mean it." He tried again to close the distance between them, but she spun away from him. "Don't you want to try to enjoy the dance?"

"Too late. Tonight was supposed to be about you and me," Sylvia pouted. "Now it's ruined."

"I thought you wanted to come here to see your friends."

"I don't want them to see me like _this_," she whined. "They'll know something's wrong, and when I tell them what it is, I'll be humiliated!"

Heero resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Her petty problems were so monumental to her. He did feel bad about hurting her feelings, but he'd already apologized dozens of times. He needed to reassure her that her suspicions were unfounded, and perhaps remind her that there were bigger problems in life than finding her boyfriend talking to an old friend who happened to be female.

"What do you want me to do, Syl?" he tried again, although his patience was rapidly expiring.

Sylvia glanced back at him without turning her head. "I want you to promise me you won't talk to Relena any more."

"Fine. I'll steer clear of her tonight. Like you said, tonight should be about us." Heero edged closer, dropping his hand onto Sylvia's shoulder, but she wrangled out of his grasp.

"I don't mean just tonight; I mean _ever_," she said vehemently, her green eyes flashing.

"Ever?" Heero echoed, his brows screwing up. "I can't promise you that, Sylvie. She's one of my oldest friends." Truthfully, Relena was his oldest friend, period, but he knew saying so would only make matters worse.

"Then I guess we have a real problem, don't we?" Sylvia lifted her chin and looked him squarely in the eye. "You need to make a decision, right now: me, or her."

Heero let out a curt laugh. "You're not serious."

"Oh, but I am."

Heero shook his head to the side. "You're talking crazy."

Sylvia shook her head as well, her curls bobbing back and forth. "I'm deadly serious."

Heero cocked a brow. "Maybe don't say that to a soldier."

"Fine. Sorry," Sylvia sighed. "But I am serious, and you need to show me that _you're _serious about our future..." She glanced briefly around the room, her gaze snagging on something in the distance. "... and that _she's_ not going to be in it."

Heero followed Sylvia's gaze to see Relena talking with a slim blonde in a red dress. He quickly turned his face away before he could catch Relena's eye, although knowing her, she'd probably already spotted him and was taking pains to avoid him. While Relena was no shrinking violet, Heero knew how much she disliked confrontation, and would do just about anything to keep the peace.

"Look." Heero bent his head to Sylvia's ear. "Why don't we get out of here and head to Leo's, just the two of us." He'd much rather go get a burger than waste any more time at this stupid dance. Although he was reluctant to leave Relena without an apology, he also didn't want to spend the rest of the night arguing with his girlfriend. He figured he'd done enough damage for one night.

Sylvia pulled away, gaping up at him. "Leo's? Heero, I don't want to spend our special date night in that _diner._"

"Fine," Heero grumbled, retreating a few steps backward. "Forget I said anything."

"I'd like to forget a lot of things about tonight," Sylvia retorted.

Heero knew there was no winning this argument; they were just going to go around and around in circles.

"I'm sorry," he said again, the words feeling like lead on his tongue.

Sylvia's eyes gleamed. "Prove it." She jerked her head in Relena's direction. Heero flicked his gaze there only briefly. Whatever Sylvia was asking him to do, he wasn't too keen to find out.

"I have nothing to prove," he said testily.

"Well, then. I have nothing more to say to you." Sylvia spun on her heel and marched off. Heero made to follow after her again, until he saw that she was headed for the ladies' room. He breathed out a low sigh and leaned back against the brick wall, his eyes trailing her retreating back.

He could see that Relena and her friend were watching Sylvia from where they stood, too. Relena looked wary, while her friend looked almost amused. Great; now he'd gone and started some female melodrama he had no idea how to resolve. He knew how to pilot a fighter jet, but had no clue how to win a battle on this kind of front.

Best to just bite the bullet, he decided. And so before he could talk himself out of it, Heero found himself crossing the room to Relena and her friend.

Relena's eyes widened as he approached, while the other girl's narrowed in on him.

"Relena…" he started.

"Heero... I'd like you to meet my friend Dorothy." Relena turned and gestured to her friend, acting as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Heero frowned, but turned to acknowledge the other girl.

"Heero Yuy," he said, extending his hand. "It's a pleasure."

"The pleasure is all mine," Dorothy purred, her violet eyes glinting. "I must say, you've greatly exceeded my expectations, Heero Yuy." She looked him up and down shamelessly.

Heero dropped the woman's hand like it was on fire. He wasn't expecting a friend of Relena's to be so forward. "I… uh…"

"Ignore her," Relena sighed. "She's an insatiable flirt. Even though her wedding's mere months away…" Relena shot the other girl a knowing look.

Dorothy reached up and patted her hair. "What? A girl's gotta get her kicks while she can." She batted her eyes at Heero, but he turned his attention back to Relena.

"Look… I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I didn't mean for things to get so… out of hand."

"Ooh, out of hand in what way?" Dorothy cooed. Clearly she had every intention of remaining part of this conversation. Heero looked helplessly at Relena.

"Maybe we could go somewhere and talk… just for a minute."

Relena frowned. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea…"

It was a terrible idea, but once again Heero found his brain was failing to operate properly around her.

"I think it's a fabulous idea," Dorothy piped up. Heero swung his eyes back over to Dorothy while Relena gaped at her. "You two go off and have a nice little chat." She made a shoo-ing motion with her hands, then winked at Heero. "Don't worry, I'll stay here and distract your lady friend."

Heero was about to protest her suggestion, but Relena spoke up first. "Thanks Dorothy, but no thanks. And Heero," Relena added, angling her face toward his, "you really don't owe me any sort of explanation."

Her calm response caught Heero off guard. He just blinked at her while she went on. "I do think you owe your girlfriend one, however." Relena's tone was firm, but she smiled sweetly at Heero as she laced her arm through Dorothy's and steered the other girl past Heero. "If you'll excuse us…"

Heero just stood and watched in silence as the two blondes walked away together, disappearing into the throng of partygoers.

* * *

_A/N: This update goes out to JenJenGundamFan! Ask and you shall receive! ;)_

_Less than one week till Christmas... are y'all ready?! I'm not lol :P _

_Stay tuned for more updates, coming soon..._

_Love,_

_-RFP_


	4. Bottoms Up

The party was in full swing, and Relena found herself playing the part of a wallflower. Dorothy's fiancé, Quatre Winner, had finally arrived and literally swept Dorothy off of her feet and onto the dance floor. Relena did her best to focus on the beautiful blond couple and some of her other friends, refusing to let her gaze drift over to Heero and Sylvia. She'd already caught a glimpse of them dancing together, and the stab of envy she felt threatened to bring on another wave of tears. But Relena managed to force them back, square her shoulders and feign indifference as she stood watching the dancing couples.

She was determined to stay strong. After all, she and Heero didn't owe one another anything. They'd parted on good terms when she went off to boarding school five years ago, and Relena didn't see any reason why they couldn't be cordial to one another. She had no idea what he'd been through in the war, how he'd met Sylvia, or any of that. If Heero wanted to tell her, that was one thing; otherwise, it was none of her business. And anyway, she had plenty of things to fill up her time with at the moment. She wasn't going to waste any of it mooning over her first love.

Thankfully, she wasn't the only girl who'd gone solo that night. Standing next to Relena was her childhood friend Cathy Bloom, née Barton, a widow who lost her husband to a German grenade two years ago. Now, she was waiting on her date, who she feared was standing her up. Although Relena couldn't fathom who would have the nerve to do that to her pretty redheaded friend.

"Charlie was never late," Cathy complained to Relena, her green eyes fierce. "I don't know about this Jack Holiday character…"

"Is he even real?" Relena teased. "Because he sounds made up."

Cathy stuck out her tongue. "Oh, he's real all right. We met at the grocery store. And we've already had one date."

"Was he on time to that?"

"No," Cathy admitted, and the two girls laughed.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Relena said, patting Cathy's arm. "He probably just got held up."

"Probably." Cathy was tapping her foot, either in rhythm to the song that was playing or impatience, Relena wasn't sure. "Anyway…" Cathy tipped her head to the side, sending her bobbed curls swishing. "What do you think of Sylvia Noventa?"

Relena tried to mask her facial features. "She… seems nice."

Cathy smirked at her. "Uh-huh. Well, I work with her at the hospital."

"Oh?"

The other girl nodded. "She's… how do I put this nicely?" Cathy tapped a finger to her chin. "Kind of a princess."

"Really?" Relena arched a brow. "What do you mean?"

Cathy shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, I guess she's just spoiled. She's always asking people to switch shifts with her, so she can go on dates with Heero…" Cathy's eyes rolled. "As if nobody else has a life outside of work."

"I see," Relena said quietly. "And… how long have they been going together?"

"For the better part of the year, I'd say. They met when he was admitted to the hospital around this time last year."

"What for?" Relena found herself asking.

"One of his injuries got reinfected while he was traveling back to the states," Cathy said. "Apparently he took a ship from London with a lot of other soldiers, and there were more injuries than doctors onboard, so his wound didn't get the proper attention. Anyway, Sylvia took it upon herself to nurse him back to health, so... I guess the rest is history."

Cathy's words stung, but Relena tried not to let it show. "Are they serious?"

"Seems that way. Sylvia keeps saying she's gonna have a ring by New Year's, so I guess we'll know soon enough." Cathy gave another shrug. "I mean, I wonder what a hardware store owner can afford, you know?"

Relena flushed. "Right." _Poor Heero, _she thought. _He must be feeling so much pressure._

"Anyway…" Cathy blew out a sigh. "I'm sure you'd rather talk about anything else, right?"

"It's all right." Relena waved a hand. "It was over between me and Heero a long time ago. I'm just happy he's happy."

Cathy blinked at her. "Sheesh. What are you, some kind of saint? Then again, you are a minister's daughter…"

"Oh, please." Relena laughed self-consciously while grappling for a change of subject. "So… how's your brother? Have you heard from him lately?"

"Yes, we talked on the phone a few days ago. He was trying to get a flight home for Christmas, but everything's booked," Cathy said sadly. "He's been looking forward to flying to New York out of that new airport in London," she added.

"Oh, yes I read about that in the paper," Relena recalled. "That's exciting."

"Well, it will be when Trowa can finally get home," Cathy sighed. "I can't believe he's missed three Christmases already, and he's gonna miss another one this year."

"I know," Relena said softly. "Eventually, life will get back to normal."

"I gave up on normal a long time ago," Cathy murmured, lowering her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Relena said, immediately feeling bad. Of course, life would never go back to normal for her friend. Not entirely.

"That's all right." Cathy offered her a sad smile. "I'm lucky I still have a brother to miss."

Relena squeezed Cathy's arm. "Yes, that's true."

Cathy turned her face toward the crowd of dancers. "Hmm, now… who else can we talk about? Oh! Have you met Hilde's husband?"

"Briefly," Relena said, spotting the brown-haired man dancing with their raven-haired friend. "I like him. He's very friendly."

"Such a chatterbox," Cathy chimed in. "But yeah, really nice guy. He seems perfect for Hilde."

"He does," Relena agreed, although she hadn't seen Hilde in years and didn't know enough about her husband, Duo Maxwell, to form an opinion just yet.

Once again, Cathy's smile faded. "Everyone's getting married…"

"Yeah…" Relena sighed. She was going to be in a lot of weddings come summer, much to her chagrin. "And then everyone will be having babies at the same time…"

"Just what this town needs," Cathy joked. "A baby boom!"

"Well, that ought to be good for local businesses," Relena said, automatically thinking of Heero. She couldn't help it.

"I'm a delivery room nurse. That means I'm never going to see the outside of the hospital," Cathy groaned.

Relena commiserated with her friend as they continued to watch the dancers twirling past them. The band was playing "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!", one of Relena's newest favorite Christmas songs.

"_When we finally kiss goodnight, how I'll hate going out in the storm…"_

Well, she had no one to kiss her goodnight, but Relena tried not to let it bother her. There was only one person in that room, in the whole world, that she even wanted to kiss, but he was otherwise engaged. And soon, he might be _actually_ engaged.

With that thought… Relena needed another drink.

"I'm going to get more punch." She turned to Cathy abruptly. "Want any?"

"No, thanks, I'm fine," her friend answered, her green eyes glued to the front doors. "I'm just gonna stay and wait for Jack."

"All right. Good luck!" Relena made her way over to the table with the punch bowl. Although the stuff tasted terrible, at least she could count on it to numb her thoughts for the time being. Hilde and Duo were mingling near the table, and the dark-haired girl squealed and ran over to Relena.

"Lena!" Hilde cried, enveloping Relena in a hug, as if they hadn't already greeted one another earlier. But now, Hilde seemed to be very, very drunk.

"Hi, Hilde," Relena giggled as she hugged the other girl back. "How are you doing?"

"Wonderful," Hilde slurred. "Have you met my handsome husband?" She grinned over at Duo, who Relena had to admit, was pretty handsome. Not nearly as much as Heero, but he did have similar dark hair, and deep blue eyes that were practically violent. They sparked when they fell on Relena, and he gave her a friendly wave.

"Yes, we've met," Relena reminded Hilde. "Hello, again," she added to Duo.

Duo chuckled. "She really likes the punch."

"I can see that," Relena said, giving him a smile. "Good thing she has you to look after her."

"She'll be all right, just needs to keep drinking water," Duo said, pressing a cup into Hilde's hand. "Hear that? Drink up, babe."

"You're no fun," Hilde sighed, but she took the cup from her husband. Duo rolled his eyes playfully.

"You lush," he teased.

"He's the one who spiked the punch," Hilde said to Relena, jerking a thumb toward Duo. "Can't take him anywhere."

"Really?" Relena raised her brows, examining the contents of her own cup. "What's in it?"

Duo shot her a sheepish grin. "Eh, you know, just some nips. A little bourbon, brandy, vermouth, gin..."

Relena grimaced. "That's disgusting." And yet she took another sip. The fruity, pungent mixture made her tongue tingle. "This is probably going to make me sick later, isn't it?"

"Probably," Duo said, shrugging. "But you'll have a good time before you do, so…" He grabbed the ladle from the bowl and filled his own cup. "Bottoms up!"

"I'll drink to that," Relena giggled, raising her cup. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Duo and Hilde tapped their cups to Relena's, and the three of them tipped back their drinks in unison.

"Hey, I meant to ask you earlier…" Duo's brows knit together. "You're Heero's Lena, aren't you? Lena Darling?"

Relena's chest clenched, and her mouth went dry. "Ah… it's Relena Darlian, actually. My friends call me 'Lena darling' as a joke."

"Oh, sorry," Duo said, reaching up to scratch the back of his head. "I could've sworn he said Lena Darling…"

"He talked about me?" Relena could feel a blush warming her cheeks. "When?"

"When we were in the service together. He mentioned you quite a few times. Of course, everyone had a girl they were dying to get home to… _ow!_" Duo clutched his side, where his wife had just elbowed him. "Everyone except me, babe! I was lost before I met you!"

"Hmph." Hilde glared at Duo before marching back over to the punch bowl and getting herself a refill.

Relena frowned at Duo. "Well, despite what Heero may have told you, whatever was between us ended a long time ago. So I doubt that I was the girl he was thinking of..."

"Beats me." Duo shrugged. "All I know is the guy didn't exactly open up a lot over there. Still doesn't. So when he _would_ talk, I'd listen. And you were the only girl I ever heard him mention."

"What did he say?" Relena asked, her voice hushed. Despite everything, she had to know.

Duo looked thoughtful. "He said… that when he was in his darkest hour, he'd picture your face, and you were the light guiding him home. And that as long as he knew 'Lena Darling' was somewhere out there in the world, he could find the strength he needed to go on."

Relena's tears came back with a vengeance, stinging her eyes and blurring her vision.

"I have to go," she gasped, and bolted for the ladies' room.

* * *

_A/N: Thank you, lovelies, for all the reviews so far! Let's keep this party going, shall we?_

_A few quick notes: _

_Re: Cathy's maiden name: I wanted to make Cathy and Trowa actual siblings here, so Barton is her maiden name, Bloom is her married name. In this AU Trowa's real name is Trowa, and there is no Triton Bloom._

_Re: Jack Holiday: an Easter egg! Anyone recognize the name?_

_Re: Duo's description: since a one-year post-WWII soldier would not have been able to grow his hair THAT long, Duo does not have his trademark braid here. I figure the boys could still grow their hair out a little, so feel free to picture Heero and Trowa with their usual styles, and Duo with something similar to Heero's._

_Also, a couple of historical notes/fun facts: Heathrow Airport in London opened up in May of 1946; this story takes place that December. The song "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" also came out that year._

_Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! More to come!_

_Ho ho ho..._

_\- RFP_


	5. Deck the Halls

*****Trigger warning:** This chapter contains some harsh racial language, mild violence and innuendo.***

* * *

Heero didn't know what was worse: the spiked punch, or the guilt he felt over hurting Sylvia, and dragging Relena into the whole mess. Either of those things would be enough to explain the roiling in his stomach.

At least Sylvia seemed pacified for the moment. Heero had danced to every song she wanted to without complaint. Now, he just wanted this night to be over. He envisioned sequestering himself in his workshop for the rest of the night; he had any number of woodworking and carving projects to keep him busy. He could work till dawn if he wanted, since the shop was closed on Sundays, and sleep all day. He craved the satisfaction of watching his projects progress, along with the solitude required to get the job done.

After tonight, he could certainly use some time to himself. Time to reflect and gather his thoughts. Because there were things he needed to say to Sylvia, and things he needed to say to Relena, but right now he didn't know where to start.

The idea of Sylvia demanding him to cut Relena out of his life angered him, although Heero could understand why she'd said it. But at this point removing either one from his life would be difficult; they each represented different parts of his life, and different sides of him.

Heero had been in a dark place when he met Sylvia last year, and she'd given him hope and healing. She was his present, and possibly his future; Relena was his past. But Relena had been the first person to shine a light on Heero's sorry existence. That light had gone out after she left, and he didn't think he'd ever find it again. Now, he still occasionally groped in darkness, but Sylvia had been reminding him that he was still human. That the war hadn't turned him into some monster. But he still struggled with his own worthiness. He was far from worthy of either Sylvia or Relena, and yet both women had showered him with affection, maybe even loved him. Heero struggled with what little he had to offer either in return, and hated the thought of hurting either one of them.

He knew that Sylvia was the more vulnerable one in the situation. Relena had handled herself with grace, and he admired her for that. She hardly seemed affected by the earlier confrontation, as she spent the evening milling about the room, chatting with her friends, smiling and laughing. She had been fine without him, and would probably continue to be. She didn't seem to need Heero like Sylvia did.

The problem was, when it came to Relena, Heero was starting to wonder if he still needed _her_. He'd been a wreck after she'd left for boarding school freshman year, but his pride kept him from admitting it. Two years after that, he enlisted, and staying in touch with Relena became harder and harder, and the void between them grew larger. He told himself that he didn't need her, didn't need anyone. He was a soldier; that became his identity.

And now? He felt like less of a soldier and more of a coward. All he wanted to do was go home and bottle up his feelings. Feelings were nothing but trouble; emotions were going to be his downfall.

But not tonight. The sooner he left and brought Sylvia home, the sooner he could be alone with his thoughts and try to come up with some logical resolutions.

"What do you say… wanna call it a night?" Heero asked Sylvia as calmly as he could. He didn't want to give any of his anxiety away, and have his girlfriend attribute his consternation to Relena's presence and start arguing with him about it all over again.

"I suppose," Sylvia sighed. "Although it's not even ten o'clock yet."

"I have some projects I need to get back to," Heero said honestly.

"Of course you do," Sylvia muttered.

"One of them is your Christmas present," he added wryly.

She flushed. "Oh. Well, in that case…" Suddenly her expression shifted, her eyes fixed on something across the room. They widened in horror, and she gasped. "Is that… Jack?!"

Heero followed her gaze to see a tall man with close cropped blond hair talking with Cathy Bloom, his friend Trowa's older sister, who'd been widowed a few years ago. She was laughing as the man whispered something in her ear, then slipped an arm around her waist.

Heero looked back at his girlfriend, whose face was white has a sheet. "Are… you okay?"

"I, um…" Sylvia's cheeks reddened, and she glanced sheepishly at Heero. "It seems you're not the only one whose old flame decided to make an appearance tonight." She reached for Heero's hand. "Let's get out of here before he sees us."

"Why?" Heero asked. "What are you afraid of?"

Sylvia loosed a sigh. "I ended things with him during the war. In a letter. And… he didn't take it well."

Heero frowned. "What did he do?"

"He wrote me letter after letter," Sylvia sighed again, more deeply this time. "And they were all really angry. He just refused to accept that it was over." She turned sad eyes up to Heero, her voice shaking. "I was hoping I'd never see him again. I don't even know what he's doing here."

"Yeah, well, seems the past has a way of catching up with us," Heero muttered.

"Oh, no," Sylvia whispered, gripping Heero's bicep. "He's spotted us. He's coming over here."

Heero could feel her tense beside him. He wrapped an arm around her while sizing up the other man. He stood nearly a head taller than Heero, but that didn't bother him. He knew he could take him, if he had to.

Sylvia took a deep breath while Jack stopped a few feet in front of them. He was wearing civilian clothes, but sported a buzz cut like he was still in the service.

Jack tipped up his chin and looked down at Sylvia. "Well. Fancy bumping into you here," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Next to Heero, Sylvia stiffened but said nothing. Jack scoffed.

"Nothing to say to me, even after all this time? Figures." His eyes narrowed in on Heero. "Who the hell is this?" he asked Sylvia, without bothering to address Heero.

So Heero did what he always did: he stuck out his hand and introduced himself. It was as much of an intimidation tactic as a greeting.

"Heero Yuy," he said snidely. "It's a pleasure."

Jack looked down at Heero's outstretched hand for a beat before extending his own. But instead of shaking Heero's hand, he smacked it out of the way. Heero's eyes narrowed to slits. What was with this asshole?

"Heero Yuy, eh?" Jack spat. "That's Japanese, right? I lost a lot of buddies of mine fighting your kind." Jack took a step toward Heero, his nostrils flaring. "Killed a lot of 'em, too. And I was happy to help rid the world of your filthy scourge."

Heero stared back at the other man unblinkingly. "Did you now," he deadpanned.

"But… he's half-white!" Sylvia piped up beside him. Heero loosed a sigh. _Not helpful, Syl._

"Yeah? So that makes you a mongrel, then," Jack growled. "That's even worse." He turned to Sylvia, sneering. "You're really debasing yourself with your boyfriend here. You should stick with purebreds."

Sylvia was shaking all over. "Stop it, Jack…"

"Excuse me."

A familiar female voice spoke up from behind Jack.

_No._

Jack turned around, and Relena was standing there with her hands on her hips, glaring up at him.

_Christ_. Heero had to stop her before she said or did something to irk this guy even more. She had no business getting in the middle of this.

Jack's eyes roved over Relena from head to toe, and he chuckled. Heero's blood began to boil.

"Can I help you with something, sweetheart?"

"Yes," Relena said hotly. "You can leave my friends alone. After you apologize."

Jack gawked at her for a beat before bursting out laughing. "You're cute."

Relena gave him a look that could freeze fire. "I mean it. Apologize, now."

Jack laughed again, then lowered his face so that he was almost nose to nose with Relena. Heero curled his hand into a fist.

"I'm not apologizing to that Jap scum and his slut girlfriend," Jack snarled.

"Are you sure?" Relena asked lightly.

"Very."

At that, Relena whipped back her hand and slapped Jack across the face, with a resounding _CRACK! _that drew gasps from around the room. Heero noticed then that the band had stopped playing, and a crowd had started forming around them.

_Shit. _

Jack chuckled and ran a hand down his face. "So you like to play rough, huh? Well, so do I."

Before Heero could make a move to stop him, Jack was grabbing at the front of Relena's dress. Her hands shot up to block him, but he tore some of the fabric, exposing the tops of her breasts. Relena gasped and staggered back, scrambling to cover her chest.

Heero could only see red.

He stormed up to Jack and dropped the taller man in two blows: a left hook to the chin, followed by an uppercut to the gut. The man crumpled to his knees, clutching at his stomach.

And then Heero ignored the shocked cries from the onlookers around them, and gathered a tearful Relena into his arms.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair. "This is all my fault."

"What?" Relena pulled back from him, her eyes and face red. "No, it's not, Heero…"

"Here, take this." Heero removed his jacket and draped it across Relena's shoulders. She shook her head wildly, her face pure astonishment.

"Heero, I can't–"

"Just take it," he urged.

"But–"

"Heero?" He heard Sylvia's voice behind him. Heero paused but didn't turn around. He didn't know what to say to her right now. Sure, he had a lot to explain when it came to Relena, but Sylvia owed him an explanation, too. Starting with what the hell she was ever doing with a racist jackass who had the nerve to assault and humiliate a lady.

"We'll talk about this later," Heero said over his shoulder, then turned back to Relena. He tucked his finger under her chin, gently tilting her face up to his. "Are you all right?" he murmured, searching her eyes.

She blinked up at him, then nodded. "I'm okay. Thank you." But the tears welling in her ocean blue eyes said otherwise.

"Let me take you home," Heero said.

Relena sniffled. "But what about Sylvia?"

_Damn. _He had a problem. He didn't suppose the two girls would be in favor of riding together. "I–"

Heero's words were cut off by a woman's scream. _Now what?_

Heero turned to see Cathy running toward another man. A tall, lanky one wearing an olive Army dress uniform, his long bangs peeking out from under his hat.

"_Trowa?!"_

The redheaded girl flung herself into her brother's arms. Trowa grinned and scooped his sister into a hug, spinning her around. The two siblings hugged and laughed for a moment, oblivious to the crowd that had shifted their attention from the injured man on the ground to the long-overdue reunion happening before their very eyes.

Heero was grateful that the focus was now off of him and Relena as well. He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She braced her hands against his back and buried her face in his neck, and he wove his hands into her long hair.

Well. They'd made quite a mess, but it felt good – _really_ good – to hold her in his arms again.

After a long moment, they broke apart, with a great deal of reluctance on Heero's part. There was still so much he wanted to say to Relena, but they needed to be able to speak in private. He didn't know when that was going to happen, but he was determined to make sure that it did.

Trowa strolled up to them then, letting out a low whistle as he surveyed the scene around them.

"So…" He tipped his head to the side, his one visible eye twinkling. "What'd I miss?"

* * *

_A/N: Hi loves! I hope you liked this one :D Many of you predicted Trowa's triumphant return... you must know me really well by now :P _

_Thank you again for all the support!_

_Love love love,_

_\- RFP_


	6. Upon a Midnight Clear

The dance was effectively over. The community organizers running the event came over to the group of young people to attempt to restore order to the party, but after all the excitement died down, most of the attendees started to gather their coats and handbags and shuffle off into the night.

Several community leaders, including members of the town government and local business owners, stood chatting with Heero and Relena to make sure they were all right. Relena got the sense that Heero, as a shop owner and a veteran, was well-respected among the town leaders, who seemed enraged by the racially-charged attack Heero had just endured. An off-duty cop even asked Heero and Relena if they wanted to press charges, but they both declined. They stood together and watched in silence as a few men dragged Jack Holiday up to his feet and escorted him from the building.

"I'm glad that's all over," Relena murmured to Heero. They were still standing close together, one of his arms wrapped around her, tucking her into his side. Relena was tempted to nestle even closer to him and rest her head on his shoulder; he was the perfect height for her to do so. But even though she felt comfortable with him – as if no time had passed between them at all – she resisted. She wasn't ready to get her hopes up just yet. Heero still had a girlfriend, one who'd run off crying earlier, so Relena resigned herself to the fact that there was still some unfinished business between the two.

"I think you should go find Sylvia," Relena added softly. She could feel Heero's body go rigid against hers.

"I... don't know what to say to her right now," Heero said, eyeing Relena warily. "But I am her ride for the night…"

"I could drop her off," Cathy piped up from where she was lingering nearby. "I work with her, so it wouldn't be that weird. And anyway, I have some questions for her about that creep she was dating." The redhead looked newly infuriated.

Heero loosed a sigh. "I have some questions about that as well. I should probably go talk to her." He looked back down at Relena, giving her a squeeze. "Will you be all right?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

"How are you getting home?" he asked, frowning.

"I could always call my father…" Although that was the last thing Relena wanted to do. She was hoping she could just slip into her house quietly and avoid both of her parents, so she wouldn't have to explain her ruined dress.

"I can take you," Cathy said. "It's the least I can do after… everything."

Relena gave her friend a smile. "Thanks, Cathy. That would be great."

"Let me just find my little brother so we can get going," Cathy said brightly. "I'll be back in a jiffy."

Her friend bounded off, and Relena's attention was turned back to Heero when she felt his fingers brushing her face. She tilted her head to look up at him as he grazed her cheek with his thumb.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he murmured, his midnight eyes sifting hers.

Relena smiled warmly at him, and reached up to clasp his hand in hers. "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Her smile faded as she scanned his eyes, sensing the pain and confusion behind them. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Relena didn't fully believe him, but she nodded. "Thank you for coming to my rescue," she said, meshing their fingers together.

Heero placed his other hand on her waist, drawing her close to him again. "You saved me first."

Relena giggled. "Oh, I don't know about that. I think my knight in shining armor days are numbered."

Heero gave her a rare smile. "I should've seen it coming. You always had a penchant for defending me against bullies, back when we were kids." His brows drew together. "But now that we're adults, you should probably let me handle these things."

Relena shrugged. "I guess old habits die hard."

Heero chuckled, his breath tickling her cheek. "You can say that again."

And then he released her hand, and gently hooked the back of her neck, drawing her in for a kiss. Relena braced her hands on his chest and closed her eyes, her heart thrashing wildly as her lips parted for him. And just like that, any willpower she had crumbled as he lowered his mouth to hers…

But then she heard someone calling her name from across the room. "Relena! We're ready when you are…"

The interruption broke the spell. Relena sighed and twisted in Heero's hold to see Cathy and Trowa heading for the gym entrance. She turned back to Heero, giving him a wistful smile.

"I guess I'd better get going."

He looked as disappointed as she felt, but he quickly masked his expression. "I'll walk you out," he offered. Relena nodded gratefully, and Heero placed his hand at the small of her back, guiding her toward the coat check.

Reluctantly, she shrugged off his jacket and handed it back to him, then replaced it with her winter coat, doing her best to cover up her exposed cleavage. But she caught Heero glancing at her chest, and a blush scrawled across her cheeks. When she looked back up at Heero, his face was beet red. She couldn't help but smile at that. He was a grown man, and a soldier, but still a gentleman at heart.

They walked out of the building together, arm in arm, and Relena appreciated having Heero escort her down the icy stairs to Cathy's waiting car.

"Can I call you later?" Heero asked as he helped Relena into the backseat. "Or will it be too late?"

Relena bit her bottom lip. "Maybe not tonight," she sighed. "You know how my father is about late-night phone calls…"

"Right." Heero rested a hand on the hood of the car and leaned down so he was eye-level with Relena. "Then how about tomorrow?"

Relena smiled and nodded. "After church?"

"You got it."

"I'll look forward to it."

Heero smiled and leaned further inside the vehicle, brushing his lips against Relena's forehead.

Then he was gone. Relena watched from the backseat as he jogged back into the building, her heart twisting. She hated knowing he was going off to find Sylvia, even though Relena had encouraged him to do so. She wondered what the two would talk about, and what it would mean for Relena's future with Heero. If she even had one with him.

"You two are dreamy together," Cathy said as she pulled her car out of the parking lot. "I don't get what he was ever doing with Sylvia..." she added, clucking her tongue.

"Yeah." Trowa twisted around in the front passenger seat to look at Relena. "You're going to have to catch me up on some things, because I feel like I've landed in some kind of alternate universe."

Relena laughed softly. "Oh, boy… where do I begin?"

* * *

By the time Heero got home, it was after midnight and he was exhausted. His talk with Sylvia had gone on much longer than he'd planned, but he knew it needed to happen, however long it took. It had been a difficult, emotional conversation, and Heero felt terrible for hurting her. She'd spent a good deal of their final moments together sobbing in Heero's truck, begging him to reconsider, but he had already made up his mind. It wouldn't have been right for Heero to go back on his decision, no matter how tempting it was to avoid breaking Sylvia's heart. Painful as it was, Heero knew it was better this way. He only hoped the worst of it was over.

He sighed to himself as he hung up his jacket on a hook near the door and locked the shop door behind him. His upstairs apartment had its own entrance at the front of the building, but he could also access it from a set of stairs in the back of the shop. Heero wasn't going up just yet, though.

His heart was heavy, his mind weary from the strain of the past several hours. He needed to do something to distract himself from the sadness and guilt he felt over ending things with Sylvia, so he headed straight for his workshop.

Heero flicked on the overhead light and smiled at the familiar surroundings, instantly feeling lighter as he surveyed his work. The wooden toys were nearly complete– he'd carved dozens over the past several weeks. Trains, planes, cars, trucks… he didn't know what possessed him to start carving vehicles, but he enjoyed the mechanics of recreating wooden versions of machines. He'd even crafted some tanks, submarines and bombers. He didn't know if anyone would ever want to buy these toys, but he figured there might be someone out there who would appreciate his handiwork.

As Heero approached his workbench, his eyes fell upon his Christmas present for Sylvia, which was half-finished– a wooden jewelry box with an intricate sunflower design he'd painstakingly carved onto the sides and top of the box. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen sunflowers; they didn't particularly remind him of Sylvia. He supposed it was because they were yellow and she had blonde hair; he really hadn't put that much thought into it. Now he realized what an insensitive gift it would have been– a jewelry box with no jewelry in it. Even if Heero had gotten her a necklace or bracelet or earrings, he knew Sylvia wouldn't have been satisfied with anything but an engagement ring.

Heero picked up the box and carried it over to a nearby shelf. He realized he'd probably dodged a bullet, not marrying Sylvia. Something told him that if they had married, things probably wouldn't have worked out between them. She was a great girl, kind, caring and loving, and Heero had no doubt she would make a good wife… for someone else. They were just too different. She didn't understand his moods, the occasional darkness that would settle over him and could drag him down for days. She'd always done her part to eradicate that darkness, and while Heero appreciated her efforts, some days he just needed to be allowed to wallow. The moods would pass; they always did, like parting clouds. And yet Heero felt that if he were going to spend the rest of his life with someone, it needed to be someone who could weather the storm with him.

He immediately thought of Relena. He couldn't help it; it was a near-instant shift. Seeing her tonight had thrown Heero's world into chaos. Just when he thought he might have his life figured out, Relena stepped back into his world, then into his arms, and that changed everything.

When Heero imagined a future with Relena, he didn't feel anxious or restless; he felt strangely calm. But then she'd always had that effect on him. Ever since they were small children, Relena had managed to make the more difficult parts of Heero's life more bearable, from losing his mother and stepfather at a young age and having to move in with his despondent, alcoholic father, to constantly feeling like an outsider at their school. For whatever reason, from the first moment they met all those years ago, Relena seemed to have taken one look at Heero and decided she was going to stick by his side.

Not for the first time, Heero found himself wishing he and Relena had never lost touch. Or that they had reconnected much sooner than last night. But the past was in the past, and Heero wouldn't allow himself to regret any of it. He could only hope he had learned something from his time away from Relena, and that he could be a better man for her now.

As Heero tried to decide what to work on next, his thoughts remained fixed on Relena. He wanted to make her something for Christmas, but he had no idea what he could make that she would want. Of course, he could make her a jewelry box similar to the one he'd been making for Sylvia, but he didn't know whether Relena was all that into jewelry. But knowing Relena, he was sure she would appreciate receiving any gift he gave her; that was just the kind of person she was. Heero knew he was probably overthinking things, but he wanted to give Relena something special. He didn't know whether he would get to see her on Christmas day or not, but he still wanted to have something ready.

There were three more full days till Christmas, and Heero had the rest of tonight and tomorrow to come up with something. So Heero brought a pile of scrap wood over to his workbench, grabbed his carving knife and chisel, and got to work.

* * *

_A/N: You guys are the best and I love you! That is all. _

_Hugs & Heero!_

_\- RFP_


	7. Let Your Heart Be Light

Relena sat at the dining room table pushing her meatloaf around on her plate with her fork, trying not to stare at the phone on the wall just a short distance away. Heero had said he would call her after church, so that could be any minute now, or hours from now. And try as she might to focus on other things, Relena couldn't keep her mind from wandering back to Heero, and what he might have to tell her. Her fingers were twitching in anticipation, and she nearly dropped her fork a few times.

Her father was eyeing her strangely. He set down his own fork and picked up his cloth napkin, dabbing at his mouth before setting it back on his lap. "Relena…"

She dragged her eyes away from the wall. "Yes, Father?"

He was frowning at her. "There seemed to be quite a bit of chatter around church today…"

Relena's brows lifted. "Oh?" She didn't really want to know where this was going. A few times that morning, she'd gotten the distinct impression that people were talking about her, as they immediately quieted when she approached. As the minister's daughter, she was used to being the subject of gossip; which was why she tried, for her parents' sake, to stay out of trouble as much as possible.

Apparently, she hadn't succeeded.

John's eyes narrowed. "Yes. A few parishioners approached me, concerned about your… status."

Relena sputtered a cough. "My status?!"

"Oh, honey, relax," Mareen cut in. Relena wasn't sure if her mother was reprimanding her, or her father. "Folks are just curious, is all." She turned to Relena, her blue eyes gleaming. "But I'm curious as well… Do you have something to tell us?"

Relena's face reddened. "Um… No?"

The phone rang shrilly, drowning out Relena's words. She looked up, grateful for the interruption.

"I'll get it!" she volunteered, but Mareen was already pushing up from the table.

"Never mind. Stay and finish your supper," she chided Relena.

Relena sighed, sinking back against her chair.

"Why do people always call during supper?" her father muttered from his seat.

"I'm sure they don't mean to; they can't possibly know the exact time we're eating supper," Relena retorted. John cut a wary glance in her direction.

Meanwhile, Mareen sounded positively animated on the phone. Relena's heart thudded, wondering who her mother was talking to.

"Well, you have a very merry Christmas too, dear," Mareen gushed. Then she placed her hand over the receiver, and tilted her head to the side. "Relena? It's for you."

Relena's heart started beating overtime. "Oh. Okay." She rose slowly from her seat, feeling shaky all of a sudden. She swore she could feel her father's eyes boring into the back of her head as she made her way over to the phone.

Mareen smiled coyly at Relena as she handed her the phone. Relena worked to keep her expression blank, waiting to speak until her mother returned to her seat. Mareen didn't immediately take the hint, so Relena placed her hand over the receiver and mouthed, "Mom!"

"Sorry!" Mareen grinned and wandered back over to the dinner table.

Relena heaved a sigh and spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Relena. It's Heero."

He didn't need to identify himself; Relena would have known that voice anywhere. At the sound of its familiar resonance in her ear, her heart began doing somersaults.

"Heero," she replied, as if his name were answer enough.

Neither said anything for a beat. Relena wished her parents weren't sitting mere feet away from her. What she wouldn't give for a private conversation, for once…

"How are you?" he asked, finally.

"I'm fine. How are you?" _Especially after last night, _she wanted to add, but she knew her parents would be hanging on every word. There were a lot of things she wanted to ask Heero, but she didn't dare. For now, she'd much rather just listen.

"I'm fine," he said. Relena waited, but he didn't offer up any more detail.

Great. So it was going to be one of _those _conversations. Relena had learned a long time ago that is was never easy to pry things out of Heero, let alone over the phone.

"Well… that's good." Relena twisted the phone cord around her fingers. "So… um…"

"Are you free tomorrow night?"

Relena's eyes widened, and she tightened her grip on the phone. "Are _you_?"

"I am," he answered with a chuckle. "That's why I'm asking you."

Relena stifled a sigh. "Yes, but are you _available_?" She dropped her voice. "You know what I mean…"

"Oh. Yeah," Heero said. "It's over between me and Sylvia."

Relena's heart thundered against her ribcage. "Really?"

"Yeah. I broke it off last night, after the dance."

Relena stood utterly still as she absorbed this news. "I see," she said calmly.

"So… I was thinking you and I could go get that cup of coffee, like we talked about."

"Just one?" she teased.

She was rewarded with the sound of Heero's breathy chuckle, which sent a shiver down her spine. "Fine by me."

Relena bit her lower lip to keep from squealing out loud. "Okay."

"What time?"

"Oh…" Relena suddenly remembered– she had practice for the Christmas pageant. It was the final dress rehearsal before the Christmas Eve service, which was the following night. _Shoot._

She quickly relayed all of this to Heero, her heart sinking.

"What about after practice?" he asked.

Relena felt herself perking up again. "I mean… sure, if you don't mind." She certainly didn't want to wait that long to see Heero, but she didn't want to wait until after Christmas, either. If she had her way, she'd be seeing him right now, but it was Sunday and her parents rarely allowed her to make plans on Sundays. The day was meant for God and family, according to her father. And besides, she'd have a difficult time getting her parents to agree to let her go on a date when no restaurants, shops or theaters were open. Her parents would only assume she and her date were only up to "one thing." Which they would be, sooner or later, or so Relena hoped.

"I don't mind," Heero said quickly. "What time should I pick you up?"

Relena smiled at the thought of riding in Heero's truck with him. "Um… we should be done by seven. Hopefully no later than that." She was dealing with a roomful of little kids, though, and they tended to be unpredictable.

"Should I… just meet you at the church, then?"

"That sounds perfect," she said brightly. "So… I'll see you at seven?"

"See you at seven," Heero said.

They said goodbye to one another, and Relena replaced the receiver, feeling dazed.

She had a date. With Heero.

"Well." Mareen beamed up at Relena as she practically floated back to the dinner table. "Looks like you have something to tell us, after all."

Relena flushed as she sat back down. "It's nothing, really," she demurred.

"It sounds like you were making plans," her father pressed.

"Yes…" Relena said slowly, picking up her fork, even though she felt like she couldn't eat a bite. "For tomorrow night, after the pageant rehearsal."

John frowned. "That'll be late."

"It shouldn't be that late," Relena said, frowning back at him.

"Your curfew is ten p.m. Make sure you remind Heero." John looked at her pointedly.

Relena sighed and resumed pushing the remnants of her dinner around on her plate. "I will. Don't worry."

"Oh, John." Mareen cut a glare across the table. "How do you expect our daughter to ever get engaged if you don't let her live a little?"

Relena gaped at her mother while her father furrowed his brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

Mareen sighed. "Ten p.m.? Really? Relena's a collegiate woman now. Ten o'clock is a high schooler's curfew."

Oh, boy. Relena was not expecting her mother to go to bat for her like this. As thrilling as it was, she knew better than to get her hopes up when it came to her father's leniency.

"She's still a teenage girl," John retorted. "Which she reminded us of last night, when she wanted to go to that dance so badly. Remember?" He raised his brows and glanced over at Relena. She flushed but didn't say anything, not wanting to make the situation any worse.

"And it sounds like you and Heero got caught up in quite a ruckus, I might add," John said testily. "Now tell us why we should be letting that boy take you out?"

"That boy?!" Mareen cut in. "That young _man_ just returned from Germany not too long ago, where he risked his life fighting for our freedom," she said hotly.

Relena's eyes bulged as she stared at her mother, whose face was flushed with frustration. _Wow. Go Mom._

John held up a hand. "Believe me, I'm grateful for what our boys did over there–" he started, but Mareen wasn't finished.

"And that _boy _has been successfully running the hardware store downtown for nearly a year now, and doing a wonderful job of it. So if that _boy_ wants to take our daughter out, I suggest you start being more supportive." Mareen picked up her napkin and swiped delicately at her mouth before throwing it down on the table, her eyes flashing. "That _boy_ could very well end up being your son-in-law."

John's expression darkened, and Relena wanted to slink down in her chair and disappear through the floorboards.

For a long, tension-filled moment, no one said anything more. At last, John stood up from his seat, glancing briefly at Relena before picking up his plate and turning toward the kitchen.

"Eleven o'clock," he said sternly. "And not a minute later."

Relena bobbed her head. "Yes, Daddy. Thank you."

John nodded at her and exited the room. Mareen waited until they heard him clanging around in the kitchen before looking up from her plate and flashing a conspiratorial smile at Relena.

Relena returned her smile, sobering her expression when her father reentered the room.

"Well," he said more brightly, rubbing his hands together. "Who wants dessert?"

* * *

_A/N: Two more days till Christmas... yikes! I'm not ready! And neither is this story! lol Will you guys mind if this goes into New Year's? Hopefully I'll wrap it up before then... I'll do my best! All your encouragement really helps! So thanks again to everyone who takes the time to read, favorite, follow and review!_

_Stay tuned for more!_

_Love love love,_

_\- RFP_


	8. Here We Are As in Olden Days

Heero drummed his fingers absentmindedly against his steering wheel, staring out his car window, up at the massive stone church looming overhead. It looked especially formidable in the darkness, the stained glass windows glowing ominously, lit from within. Heero looked warily at the large set of wooden doors. This was one place in town where he hadn't set foot in a long, long time. But for Relena… Well, if he were going to start spending time with her again, he reasoned he had better make his peace with the idea.

With a sigh, Heero cut the engine and exited his truck, then shuffled over to the front entrance of First Parish.

It was five minutes to seven; as usual, Heero was early. He couldn't seem to help his punctuality the way other people – like his only employee – couldn't seem to help being late all the time. But then, Duo did have a wife, and a second job as an auto mechanic, so Heero didn't fault his partner for his habitual tardiness. Especially since Heero's workplace was also part of his home.

And after he'd closed up shop at five, showered and changed for his date with Relena, he found he still had plenty of time to kill. He'd resumed working on Relena's Christmas present, which he'd spent most of Saturday night and all day Sunday on. It was nearly finished by the time Heero had to leave for their date. He figured he could put the finishing touches on it later that night, assuming Relena still had to abide by a strict curfew. Her father had been militant about that when they were younger, and knowing the Reverend, precious little had probably changed.

As Heero approached the church doors, he hesitated, that familiar feeling of unworthiness creeping back in. He shook his head as if he could dispel the fears that still dwelled in the back of his mind. Which was stupid. What was he so afraid of? He'd faced certain death on many a cold battlefield. He'd watched good men die all around him– men who had families, wives, children waiting at home for them. Men who deserved a homecoming far more than someone like Heero, who had nothing and no one. He–

Heero stopped with his hand poised over the iron door handle, as the door swung open. He was greeted by a friendly, familiar face, and just the sight of her sent a rush of warmth to his core.

"Hi," Relena said, peeking her head out the door. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks rosy. She was wearing the same white wool coat she'd worn to the dance the other night; it was unbuttoned to reveal a sky blue sweater that brought out her eyes, and a gray wool skirt, tights and heels. Her long hair was more relaxed, her makeup more natural than it had been for the dance, but she looked just as alluring, if not more so.

"Hey," Heero returned, trying to keep his voice casual.

"I thought you might be here already," Relena said, opening the door more fully, spilling light onto the front stoop. "We're almost finished. I just have a couple of stragglers waiting to be picked up by their parents." She rolled her eyes playfully, still smiling.

"That's fine," Heero said.

"Do you want to wait with me?"

"Sure."

Relena beamed at him and reached for his hand. Heero smiled down at the petite blonde as he took her smaller hand in his; it felt so feminine and soft against his calluses. Just the feel of her skin against his was enough to–

Heero gritted his teeth as he followed Relena through the foyer, their hands still intertwined. They were in _church_, he reminded himself. Unfortunately the lower half of his body didn't seem to care, and was reacting accordingly to Relena's touch.

If he was going to get through this night without doing something stupid, he was going to have to avoid being in such close proximity to Relena. But then the thought of _not _touching her irritated him.

And so Heero found himself in a pretty pisspoor mood as he followed Relena into the church sanctuary. Never mind the fact that he had a lot of childhood memories here, and many of them were less than pleasant.

Unfortunately, his best memory of the place involved Relena, and only increased the tightening in his trousers. When they were in eighth grade and Relena was staying late after church one Sunday, waiting for her father while he was in some meeting, and she convinced Heero to stay and wait with her, and they ended up playing sardines with some of the little kids who were also waiting for their parents. And when Heero found Relena hiding by herself in the broom closet… it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Alone together in the darkness, Heero decided to act on his recent realization that his best friend was very female, and very pretty, and before he even knew what was happening, he was grabbing her face between his hands and kissing her. Hard. And then Relena was so startled, she cried out and backed away from him, striking her head against the wall. And Heero felt so guilty, he resolved to never act on his feelings spontaneously like that again.

Until Relena laughed off her injury, then grabbed Heero and kissed him even harder than he'd kissed her, making him forget all about his promise to never touch her again.

"What's so funny?" Relena turned back to look at him, quirking a brow.

"Hm?" Heero hadn't realized he'd laughed out loud. "Uh, nothing. Just… memories."

Relena shot him a knowing smile, then turned back around and continued marching them down the church aisle.

She halted her steps at the front row of pews, where two children who couldn't have been more than five or six, a boy and a girl, sat side by side with their hands folded in their laps. Heero was amazed to see two children that young sitting so quietly and patiently, although both were squirming a bit. As soon as Relena approached, both children whipped their heads up, their faces brightening.

"Miss Relena!" they cried in unison.

"Told you I'd be right back," she said serenely. She smiled and turned to Heero, placing her hand on his arm. He immediately tensed at her touch. "This is Heero. He's going to wait here with us. Heero, this is Sophie and Michael." Relena let go of his arm and gestured to the pew. "Shall we have a seat?"

"Yeah. Sure." Relena moved to sit down beside the children, and Heero followed suit, taking a seat beside her.

"Now, what do you say we play a game?" Relena asked the children.

"Yeah!" They shouted.

"How about… sardines?" Relena glanced at Heero out of the corner of her eye, fanning her dark lashes. Heat rushed up Heero's neck, and he worked to regain his composure.

"That's always been my favorite," he murmured, reaching for Relena's hand, curling their fingers together in his lap.

She flushed and turned back to the children. "On second thought… that game is much more fun with more people."

"I disagree," Heero muttered. Relena shot him a sidelong glance before turning her attention back to the kids.

"What about, I spy?"

"Okay!"

"All right, I'll start." Relena tapped a finger to her chin as she cast her gaze about the large room. "I spy with my little eye… something… red."

"Santa!" Michael yelled.

Heero quirked a brow while Relena laughed. "Do you see Santa anywhere in this room?"

"No." Michael's lower lip jutted out.

"Oh, I know!" Sophie shouted, pointing up at the stage. "The poinsettias!"

"Correct!"

The little girl beamed at Relena. "Yay! My turn!"

This went on for a while, and Heero was eventually pulled into the game. And surprisingly, he was actually enjoying himself. Normally Heero found children annoying, but he could appreciate their exuberance. Especially the way they were so fond of Relena; that, he could relate to on many levels.

After a while, a woman who turned out to be Sophie's mother came running into the sanctuary, apologizing for being so late, and she and her daughter left together. Not long after, Michael's mother came to retrieve him.

At last, Heero and Relena were alone.

"I'm sorry that took so long," she said as they exited the building together.

"No problem." Heero looked back at the heavy wooden door as it shut behind them. "Do you need to lock up or anything?"

"No, my father's still around here somewhere," Relena said with a shrug.

"Burning the midnight oil?"

She laughed. "You know it."

"I'm surprised he didn't come and give me the third degree," Heero muttered.

Relena smiled and laced her arm through his. "Lucky for us, he seems to be loosening up a little these days."

"Huh." Heero didn't believe that for a second. But he was relieved they didn't have to endure any more interruptions, and their night together was officially underway. Keeping her arm tucked in his, he escorted Relena to where he'd parked his truck.

Once they were inside and he'd started the engine, Heero angled his head to look at Relena. "So. Are you hungry?"

"Starved," she moaned playfully.

"Is Leo's okay?"

She beamed at him. "Leo's is perfect."

Her smile never ceased to thrill him. There was something so good and pure about her, and once again Heero was painfully aware of the fact that there was nothing he could do to ever deserve such goodness. All he could do was be grateful that this angel had appeared in his life, on that Christmas day nearly fifteen years ago… and do whatever he could to ensure that they would never spend another Christmas apart.

"Just like old times," Relena said gleefully as they drove along.

"Pretty much. Except the last time we did this, we couldn't drive ourselves yet."

"True. This is a major improvement."

"Yes, it is." Heero shot Relena a sidelong smile. And, of course, she smiled right back, dazzling him all over again. He forced himself to turn his eyes back to the road, but it was no easy feat. He wanted to sit there and stare at her, drink her in, for the rest of the night. For the rest of his life, if she'd let him.

* * *

_A/N: Merry Christmas Eve! I can't even with all the 1xR cuteness. I hope you can't either ;) This story is my Christmas card to all of you! Expect to see more unabashed HeeroxRelena fluffy goodness underneath your tree! :D I hope to post one more update before Christmas..._

_Ho ho ho!_

_\- RFP_


	9. Faithful Friends

The next hour or so flew by, and the conversation flowed easily and naturally over their dinner of burgers, fries and chocolate malts. They managed to catch up on each other's lives without discussing any difficult subjects; Heero could tell Relena was trying to focus on the positive, so he did his best to do the same. When she asked him about the war, he kept his answers vague, and only told the most lighthearted anecdotes he could think of. Most of those involved Duo, who was quite the prankster. Heero was telling Relena about how they both had come up with names for their bombers, and both were made fun of by their brothers in arms because neither Heero nor Duo named their planes after women. Whether it was boredom or one too many shots of whiskey, Heero decided to call his bomber "Wing," because he found the symmetrical wing section so streamlined and beautiful; Duo dubbed his "Deathscythe" for more sinister reasons, Heero explained.

At the mention of Duo, Relena grew quiet.

"Heero…" she started, twirling her straw around in her now-empty glass. "Duo mentioned… that you told him about me, while you were overseas."

Heero nodded slowly. "I did."

Relena's cheeks reddened. "May I ask what you told him?" Her flush deepened. "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to…"

"No, that's all right…" Heero started. At that moment, their waitress appeared.

"Would you like any coffee? Dessert?"

Relena and Heero exchanged looks across the table.

"I'm fine if you are," she said to Heero.

"We're all set," he told the waitress. "We'll take the check."

"All right," the woman said with an overly cheerful smile. "I'll be right back."

"What time is it?" Relena asked once they were alone again.

Heero glanced at his watch. "Quarter to nine."

"Oh. Plenty of time still." Relena frowned. "Maybe we should've gotten coffee…"

"What time do you need to be home?"

Relena smiled shyly at him. "Eleven."

"Oh." They had over two hours to kill; Relena only lived five minutes from downtown.

After Heero paid the bill, they left the diner and stepped back out into the cold, dark night. It had to be below zero degrees. Relena was shivering on their way back to Heero's truck, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She leaned closer to him, and even though he couldn't feel her body heat through their winter coats, her nearness was nothing short of electrifying.

"I guess it's too cold to go for a walk," Heero observed.

"Way too cold," Relena agreed, her teeth chattering.

Heero opened the passenger side door and helped Relena inside, although he was reluctant to release her. He jogged over to the driver's side and climbed in, eager to start the engine and warm Relena up.

She had taken off her gloves and was rubbing her hands together. Heero took her hands in his, bringing them up to his mouth. He took over rubbing her hands while breathing his warmth onto her skin. Her eyes were wide and glossy as she watched him, her lips parting slightly. It was hard to miss the longing in her eyes, and ignore his own mounting need...

"Heero…"

"Should we go for a drive?" He released her hands and placed his on the steering wheel.

"Ah… sure." Relena dropped her gaze to her lap, and Heero had to wonder if her mind had wandered to the same place his had gone to... But she was so sweet, and innocent, and…

Then he remembered that time in the broom closet. They hadn't done anything truly scandalous, but Heero had always wondered what might have happened if they hadn't been interrupted by the other kids, who were actually interested in playing sardines. Heero was far more interested in playing with Relena.

Funny how little things had changed.

Heero forced the thoughts away as he maneuvered his truck out of the parking lot, turning on to the main road.

"Heero… you were going to tell me what you said to Duo…" Relena said softly, casting a sidelong glance at him. "Remember?"

His jaw tightened. "Right." He had no problem telling Relena these things… if anything, it would be a relief, after all this time, to unburden himself. But he didn't think his truck was the best place to have that sort of conversation. Not after he'd just broken up with a girl in the same place two nights ago.

"If you want… we could go to my place and talk," Heero said casually. "I could make us some coffee," he was quick to add.

"Sure."

He was surprised Relena didn't fight him on his suggestion, figuring going to his place alone was definitely against her parents' rules. Maybe they really had loosened up. Or maybe Relena just didn't care.

Heero stole occasional glances at her out of the corner of his eye as he drove toward his apartment, doing his best to read her. But Relena's expression stayed neutral, her eyes trained straight ahead. Her sudden silence perturbed him; he wasn't used to being with someone as quiet as he was. It made him more anxious than he cared to admit, wondering what she might be thinking, wondering if he'd inadvertently done something to upset her. When he was with Sylvia, he always seemed to find ways to upset her without even knowing how he'd done it.

But once they were out of his truck and walking side by side on the snowy sidewalk, up to the darkened storefront of his shop, Relena was all smiles again. Heero paused at the front door. He could either take her straight up to his apartment, or through the shop first.

"Would you… like to see my workshop?"

Relena's eyes sparkled up at him in the moonlight. "I'd love to."

Heero was relieved. Eager as he was to bring her to his apartment, he knew they'd be crossing a threshold. And once they got to a certain point… he knew he wouldn't be able to hold back from her. The last thing he wanted to do was scare Relena away, when they were just getting to know one another all over again.

He unlocked the shop door and held it open for Relena, then turned on the overhead lights, illuminating all of the rows of shelves lined with tools. Heero watched Relena as her gaze swept the room.

"You've really tidied up in here," she observed. "It looks great."

"Thanks. I try." Heero smiled at her, and strode toward the back of the store. "The workshop's this way…"

He paused in the doorway, remembering her still-unfinished present, and turned back to Relena. "Wait here… just a second."

Relena's eyes gleamed up at him. "Ooh, are we hiding something?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Heero said with a chuckle.

Relena planted her hands at her hips. "Why, yes, I would."

Heero gave her a sly smile. "Patience, hun."

Relena returned his smile with a coy one of her own. "Between you and me, I think I've been patient long enough."

She took a step toward him, and was close enough to reach out and touch. Heero's hands drifted automatically to her waist. Their torsos hovered close together as Relena looped her arms around his neck, and tipped her face up toward his. Her lips parted, and her eyes fluttered closed.

They were even closer to kissing than they'd been the other night. And Heero knew from past experience that once their lips connected, it would feel so good, he'd probably go out of his mind. Which was why he couldn't give in, not just yet.

Because once he started kissing her, he knew he wouldn't be able to stop.

And so, using every ounce of self-control he could muster, Heero released Relena's waist, and took a step back. She blinked up at him as he severed their contact, and he hoped he didn't hurt her feelings. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Just give me a minute, honey." He didn't know why he was suddenly calling Relena pet names… he'd never done that before. He couldn't explain it, but it felt right. Her eyes glimmered up at him, and her smile returned.

"Okay," she sighed.

And then, because she looked so beautiful he almost couldn't stand it, he brushed a lock of hair from her face, and pressed a gentle kiss to her brow. Then he forced himself to turn around, esconding himself in his workshop. He quickly located her gift where he'd left it on the workbench, hiding it behind the woodstove in the corner.

"Okay, you can come in now," he called to Relena.

"The suspense is killing me," she teased, stepping into the room. Then her eyes widened. "Oh, wow…"

Heero didn't think his workshop was all that impressive; it was just a room with a workbench, shelves lined with tools, and the woodstove. But Relena was gawking at the shelves lined with all the toys Heero had been carving.

"Heero…" she breathed, wandering over to the shelves. "These are incredible." Her hands hovered over one of the planes. "May I?"

"Of course."

Heero watched as Relena picked up the plane and turned it over in her hands. "The level of detail is just… exquisite." She turned her gaze back up to Heero. "You made these?"

"Yeah." He stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.

Relena's eyes were bulging. "When did you ever find the time?"

"You'd be surprised," Heero chuckled. "I often have a lot of time on my hands."

"Even when you had a girlfriend?" Relena quirked a brow.

Heero shrugged. "We didn't see each other all that often. Couple of times a week."

"I see." He thought Relena's eyes were burning, but she flashed him a smile. "Anyway…" She set the plane back on its shelf, and picked up one of the wooden trains instead. "Have you ever thought about selling these? Because I really think you could…"

"Maybe." Heero shrugged again. "Haven't thought that much about it, to be honest."

"Hmm. Maybe you could start a side business." Relena carefully placed the train back where she'd found it.

"Already have. I do some woodworking here and there."

"Jack of all trades," Relena commented. "Not that I'm all that surprised. You've always been talented."

"You think?" Heero frowned. He'd never thought he was anything special, although he knew he was a skilled pilot. He'd taken to training quickly; flying just came naturally to him for some reason.

"What are you talking about? You were always the most artistic in our whole class," Relena said emphatically. "Remember how I was always making you draw things for me?"

Heero chuckled. "Yeah, well I had my own reasons for doing that."

"Oh, did you now?" Relena batted her eyes playfully at him. "Well, maybe you could do me another favor…"

"Anything," Heero said immediately.

"Would you… consider donating some of these toys?" She drew in a breath. "If you don't want to, I understand…"

"To where? St. Gabriel's?"

Relena nodded. Heero gave another shrug.

"Sure. I don't see why not."

Relena beamed at him. "That would be wonderful, Heero… maybe you could come with me to drop them off?"

He drew in a hesitant breath of his own. "I don't know… I haven't been back there in so long." That was another place in town he'd managed to avoid for the past several years.

"I know," Relena said softly, trailing her hand along the shelf. "It's hard for me too, sometimes."

Heero nodded, dropping his gaze to the floor. Memories seeped in, some good, some bad. He looked up to see Relena had taken a few steps closer to him. She reached for his hands.

"But I could never hate that place, no matter how lonely and scary it was," she murmured, raising her eyes to Heero's. They were misted with tears. "Because it brought me to you."

"Relena…" Heero brought his hand to her face, and thumbed her tears away. "Don't cry, honey," he murmured.

Relena smiled up at him, but her eyes were wistful. "You know… all I wanted for Christmas that year was a mother and father. I prayed every night, begging God to send me parents."

"I know," Heero said, recalling their late-night conversations in the orphanage, when they were both supposed to have returned to their respective boys' and girls' dorms with the other children. But they'd both sneak out of their rooms and hide under the basement stairs, and talk for hours and hours.

They had both lost their parents, but Relena had never known hers at all. She had been born with the name Peacecraft, but that was the only remnant of her past. Heero was placed in St. Gabriel's on Christmas Day, when he was five years old, after his mother and stepfather died in a car accident the night before. The state social services had a difficult time tracking down Heero's birth father; who, up until then, Heero didn't even know existed. When Odin finally got around to picking up Heero weeks later, Heero and Relena had become inseparable. And Heero was terrified to leave her, to go off and live with some stranger. He thought he would never see her again, but fate or God or something intervened. The next month, when Heero was starting up classes at his new school, he walked through the doors to find Relena Peacecraft - now Darlian - was in his class.

God had answered her prayers, after all. And, apparently, his, too.

"And He did send me parents," Relena whispered through her tears. "Eventually. But before that… I found my very best friend in the world." Her voice quivered, and her eyes shimmered. "I missed you, Heero. I missed you so much, I couldn't breathe!"

She began to sob, her shoulders shaking. Heero pulled her tight against his chest and held her as she cried, threading his hands through her hair.

"I missed you, too," he murmured kissing the top of her head. "And I feel the same way about you."

"Then why…" Relena stopped talking as sobs overtook her words. Heero stroked her back, his heart twisting. A moment later, she took in a deep, shaky breath and lifted her head to look at him, her eyes still damp. "Why did we ever lose touch?"

This very question had been eating at Heero for the last five years. "I don't know," he said morosely. "Why didn't you answer any of my letters?"

Relena's eyes widened. "What letters?"

* * *

_A/N: TWIST! lol I hope you're enjoying where this little holiday story is going! Sorry I couldn't fit in an update yesterday; Christmas day was just a little too crazy for me. But i hope you had a wonderful Christmas, wherever and however you celebrate! _

_Love love love, _

_\- RFP_


	10. Let It Snow

Relena couldn't believe her own ears. She thought Heero had to be joking. But he looked every bit as bewildered as she was.

"What do you mean, 'what letters'?" He pulled back from their embrace to look at her, his brow creasing.

Relena's head was spinning. "I never received any letters from you, Heero."

He released her and ran a hand down his face. "Relena… I sent letters to you at boarding school. I must have mailed dozens."

Relena's heart plummeted. "Well… I never got them. Not one."

Heero looked at her sadly, then started pacing the length of the room. "Unbelievable."

"Heero…" Relena reached a hand out to him. "There must be some reasonable explanation…"

"Yeah," he muttered, jamming a hand through his hair. "Someone didn't want you to read them."

Relena heaved a sigh, her shoulders sagging. "Well, the nuns were strict about us talking to boys…"

"That explains why they never let me talk to you when I called," Heero grumbled. Relena gaped at him.

"You called me at school?"

"Yeah," he said, his eyes blazing. "Multiple times. Eventually I gave up because you were never available."

Relena's mind whirred as she comprehended all of this. "What did the letters say?"

Heero huffed a laugh, but there wasn't any humor in the sound. "Only that I loved you. And I wanted you to run away with me."

Relena's heart hammered in her chest. "Heero…"

"And… some other things I doubt the nuns appreciated."

More tears brimmed in Relena's eyes, and her chest ached. "Why didn't you tell me any of this in person?" she choked.

Heero looked over at her with distant eyes. "We were just a couple of kids. I didn't know how to tell you how I felt. Not in person, at least." He shrugged. "It was easier to just… write it and send it out. Then when I never heard back from you, I just figured you didn't feel the same."

Fresh tears streamed down her face. "You should have just told me," she whispered, her voice shaking. She brought her hands up to her face as sobs came out in gasps. She couldn't control them any longer. She buried her face in her hands and wept.

She felt Heero's strong arms wrapping around her, pulling her back into his embrace.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, over and over. "I'm so sorry, Relena."

"It's not your fault," Relena said into his chest, her voice muffled. "I could have told you how I felt, too, but I didn't."

"With parents like yours, I can understand why." Heero rested his head atop hers. "Sometimes I wondered if they were trying to keep you away from me, and that's why they shipped you off to boarding school."

"Maybe," Relena sighed. "Although they'd always planned to send me there, so it couldn't have been the only reason. And yet… you and I were so close… it probably scared them."

"Yeah," Heero sighed. "I still should've asked you to run away with me."

Relena laughed through her tears. "I wish you had."

"Your parents never would have allowed it."

"We would've had to wait till we were eighteen, and by then you were already overseas." Relena heaved a deep sigh. "That was the worst day of my life, by the way… finding out you'd been sent off to war."

"I'm sorry," Heero said, leaning his forehead against hers. "I wish I could have told you."

"Well, now I know why you didn't." Relena smiled weakly. "Mystery solved."

Heero reached up and brushed away her remaining tears. Relena closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. "So what now?" she whispered.

She felt Heero's fingers underneath her chin, tilting her face closer to his. She opened her eyes to see that the darkness had left his eyes, and they shone at her now like twin sapphires.

"We could still run away," he said, his lips twitching.

Relena laughed. "What would be the point now?"

"What would be the point?" Heero echoed, gaping at her. Relena grinned, enjoying getting a rise out of him for a change. His other hand seized her waist, his eyes glinting dangerously.

"At least now," he said gruffly, "no one could stop us."

Relena smiled and stroked his cheek. "We don't have to run anywhere. I'm happy being right here with you."

Heero's eyes were half-lidded, but still smoldering. "Relena…"

He didn't finish his sentence. He tipped her chin up with his index finger and kissed her.

Relena felt a jolt from the sudden contact. For a moment, she was rooted to the spot, savoring the mere feel of Heero's lips against hers. And then Heero cupped her face more firmly, deepening the kiss. His kisses became more eager, more demanding, his tongue seeking hers. Touching her, tasting her. Claiming her. Relena yielded to Heero completely. She clung to him as she swayed on her feet, her head swimming, her legs turning to jelly.

Heero broke their kiss long enough to rasp, "Should we go upstairs?"

Relena nodded briskly, then reached for his face and pulled him down for another kiss. Heero lifted her off the floor, up into his arms. She had no idea which way they were going, but she trusted Heero to lead the way.

He kicked a door open with his foot, then proceeded to carry Relena up two flights of stairs. She held onto his shoulders, covering his face and neck with kisses. He let out a low groan as they reached the top of the stairs, and he paused to fumble with another door, holding on to Relena with one hand.

Once they were in Heero's darkened apartment, he carried Relena over to his sofa and gently laid her down on the cushions. He climbed over Relena, but left enough space for her to sit up. She caught him by surprise, pushing him back against the couch, and crawled into his lap. Heero chuckled, his voice low and sexy, as he pulled her flush against him. Relena ran her hands over his broad chest as she straddled him, and Heero's hands caressed her back. She pushed his coat off his shoulders, as he removed hers, and then they both paused to kick off their shoes. Soon, most of their clothes were in a heap on the floor: first Heero's plaid shirt, then Relena's sweater, then his tank top, then her skirt and tights, and, finally, Heero's pants.

When they were both down to just their underwear, Relena was trembling in Heero's arms. He stopped kissing her and murmured, "You're cold," rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Involuntarily, Relena shivered.

"You'll have to warm me, then," she said, nipping at his bottom lip.

Heero chuckled. "How about I start a fire."

"I think you already have." Relena ran her hand down his bare chest. Heero caught her hand in his and drew it to his lips. His eyes were dancing at hers in the moonlight as he kissed her hand, then released it, and rose to his feet. Even in the near darkness, Relena could still admire his masculine form as he turned and strode over to the fireplace.

Moments later, the hearth was ablaze, filling the room with warmth and the soft glow of the fire. Even though Relena hadn't wanted Heero to stop kissing her, she had to admit that a fire was a good idea. He looked even more handsome in the firelight, if that were even possible. And the way he was looking at Relena, he seemed to be enjoying the view just as much as she was.

He smiled slyly at her as he returned to the couch. "Come here, beautiful," he murmured, extending a hand to her. Relena climbed back onto his lap and surrendered herself to his kisses. And as the heat between them was reaching a fever pitch, Heero stopped and asked her, "Should we… get into bed?"

"No," Relena whispered. "I like it right here."

"I just want you to be comfortable," he said.

"I'm very comfortable," she assured him, grinding her hips against him to demonstrate. He chuckled and kissed her, gently and thoroughly.

His hands snaked up her back and slid beneath her bra strap. And suddenly, anxiety struck Relena's chest out of nowhere. She drew in a sharp breath and pulled back from Heero.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, his eyes searching hers.

"I just… need to ask you something." Relena bit her lower lip. "And you don't have to answer me if you don't want to, but… I would appreciate if you were honest with me."

"You can ask me anything, Relena." Heero's hands stroked her back. "What is it?"

Relena lowered her eyes. "Did you… Did you and Sylvia ever… here?"

Heero smiled and brought his hand up to her face. "No. We never got this far. She wanted to wait till we were married."

Relena bit her lower lip. "And how did you feel about that?"

"I didn't want to get married at all." Heero resumed planting soft, wet kisses to Relena's neck.

"Oh…" She let her hands fall flat against his chest. "I just assumed… I mean, she was so upset the other night. If you two had been intimate, that would be understandable…"

Heero stopped kissing her and shook his head. "It wasn't like that," he said simply. "And even if it had been… I don't think I would've been able to get you out of my head."

Relena rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm sure you're just saying that…"

"No." Heero snatched her by the waist, angling her hips toward his torso. "I meant what I said earlier."

"When?"

He paused. "When… I told you what I wrote in my letters."

Relena smiled and brushed his lips with hers. "Then say it to me now."

Heero loosed a laugh, his breath tickling her skin. "I was getting to that."

"Oh, were you? That's good to know," Relena teased, tracing invisible lines over his chest.

His dark eyes gleamed at her in the firelight. "You're driving me completely crazy. You know that, don't you?"

Relena just gave him a coy smile, then pushed his chest playfully. She didn't know much in the way of seduction, but she was enjoying figuring it out. Before he could stop her, she rose from the couch, and sauntered toward the fireplace, giving Heero a good view of her backside. She was counting on him getting up and following her, and he didn't disappoint. She kept her back to him, facing the fire, as he came up behind her and encircled her waist.

Heero ran his hand up and down her right side, his other hand playing with her hair. Relena craned her neck to lean back and kiss him, as Heero's hand found the clasp of her bra. At last, Relena allowed him to remove it. She heard him drop the fabric to the floor, then suck in a breath.

"Relena…"

"Hmm?" she replied lazily between kisses.

Heero cupped her breasts from behind, lifting them. "These… are my new favorite thing in the world."

Relena laughed breathlessly. "Well, they're not new, Heero. I've had them a while now…"

"I know." He smirked. "I remember when you first got them. But they're bigger now..."

"Heero!" she shrieked.

He didn't respond other than to kiss her wildly, as his hands continued to fondle her mounds. He teased her nipples, rubbing them with his thumbs, and they peaked against his touch. Relena writhed against this new sensation, as warmth spread all over her.

"Now you're driving _me_ crazy," she whimpered.

Heero chuckled. "I'm only getting started."

Relena felt a shiver of anticipation as Heero lowered his hands to her hips. She inhaled sharply as he slipped a finger inside the band of her panties.

"You first," she said, reaching for the waistband of his briefs.

"How about we go together?" Heero murmured.

"Okay," Relena agreed, then proceeded to pull down Heero's briefs while he removed her panties.

And once that task was done, they faced one another naked for the first time. Relena flushed all the way to her hairline as she surveyed Heero's finely hewn muscles, and his… well, she had always been curious, and there it was. Meanwhile, his gaze roved over her, his expression unreadable.

"Relena…" he murmured, taking a step toward her. "You're so beautiful."

"So are you," she said shyly. And then they both laughed.

Heero gathered her into his arms and kissed her soundly. "I'm taking you to bed," he said, his voice a low growl.

"But I want you to make love to me by the fire," Relena protested.

Heero huffed. "I want to take your virginity in my bed, like a gentleman."

Relena arched a brow. "What makes you so sure I'm a virgin?"

Heero's face fell, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Relax, Heero. I'm teasing." She looped her arms around his neck and kissed his nose playfully. "I want you to be my first," she whispered.

_And only,_ she nearly added.

"And last, if I have anything to say about it," Heero said gruffly, then kissed her with more passion than he ever had before. By the time they broke their kiss, Relena was gasping for air, and Heero was stepping away from their embrace.

"I'll be right back," he said.

"Not again," she groaned.

He just smiled and slipped out of the room. Relena sighed impatiently at the thought of going without his touch for another minute, when her entire body was quivering for it. She stood with her arms folded around her middle, staring at the dancing flames in the fireplace until Heero came back to her, holding a blanket and pillow. She watched with amusement as he laid them on the floor, creating a makeshift bed.

"Is that better?" she teased him.

He reached for her and pulled her down on top of him. "Now where were we?"

* * *

Heero stroked his fingers through Relena's hair lazily as she rested her head against his chest, breathing deeply and serenely as she curled into his side. Heero had done his best to tire her out, and he swelled with pride just thinking about all the ways she'd responded to him as he took his time pleasuring her. Heero would have spent the rest of the night worshipping her in front of the fire, if only he could stay awake. For now, he was content to hold her as long as she'd let him. At long last, he had his princess right where he wanted her. In his arms, where she belonged. She was truly his now, and there was no undoing it.

He knew once they reached that threshold, there would be no going back. And now, Heero vowed to never let her go. Not again.

"What time is it?" Relena mumbled into his chest.

Heero didn't know or care, as he'd been drifting in and out of sleep himself, lulled into a blissful state by the exertion of the sex and the warmth and glow of the fire. But he sighed and pried his eyes open to look at the grandfather clock on the opposite wall.

"It's… ten past eleven."

"Heero!" Relena bolted up, suddenly wide awake. "I'm late! We have to go! My father's gonna kill me!" She launched onto her feet before he could stop her. Heero sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. Sleeping on the floor was _not_ comfortable; the next time they did this, it would be in his bed, and that would be that.

"Your father is not going to kill you," Heero muttered. "We're both adults. You don't have to jump every time he says to…"

But Relena didn't seem to be listening to Heero and she hurriedly pulled on her underwear, then sifted through the rest of their clothes on the floor. She tossed Heero's items his way, then yanked her sweater over her head.

"I still live in his house, so I'm under his rules…"

"Then live here with me," Heero said.

Relena paused with her tights halfway up her legs. "I can't just live with you, Heero…"

"Why not?"

She gave him an exasperated look as she finished putting on her tights. "You know very well why not."

Heero shrugged his tank top over his head, then reached for his trousers. "Then just marry me."

Relena laughed and pulled up her skirt. "Marry you? Just so we can sleep together?"

Heero shot her a sidelong glance as he buttoned up his overshirt. "You think that's why I want to marry you?"

Relena frowned at him. "I thought you didn't want to get married."

"Not exactly." Heero finished dressing and turned back to face her. "I just didn't want to marry the wrong girl."

Relena went utterly still, her mouth slightly agape. "Heero…"

The phone rang, the sound deafening in the otherwise quiet room. Heero eyed it warily.

"Don't answer, it's probably my father!" Relena turned plaintive eyes toward Heero.

"Then he should know we'll be on our way shortly."

"Yes, but then he'll know we were _here_."

"Where else would he think we are?" Heero moved toward the phone.

"Heero…" Relena groaned.

Heero picked up the phone before the call could drop. "Hello?"

"Hey-a, buddy boy!"

"Hey, Duo," Heero said, watching as Relena visibly sagged in relief. "What's going on?"

"Oh ya know, just checkin' in. Hell of a storm out there."

Heero frowned. "Huh?"

"Yeah, it's a total whiteout. I just wanted to see if you were planning to open up shop at the regular time tomorrow, or if you think we'll be delayed. I can be there early to help you shovel out, if you need me."

Heero uttered a curse under his breath.

"I mean, it's not _that_ bad," Duo said with a laugh. "Just a regular ol' Nor'Easter. Anyway, let me know what you want to do."

"Uh… I'll call you back."

Heero hung up the phone and raced over to the window.

"Heero?" Relena followed after him. "What's wrong?"

Heero pulled back the curtains to see… nothing but white swirling outside. The wind howled, and Heero wondered how he'd missed that sound earlier. He must not have noticed, between his sleepiness and the crackling of the fire. And earlier, well… the sounds he and Relena were making must have drowned out the storm.

"Shit," he said out loud. He could feel Relena tense beside him.

"Oh, no," she breathed.

He blew out a low sigh. "Looks like we're snowed in."

* * *

_A/N: Hello, loves! This chapter was a little longer than the last one, so I hope you enjoyed! I apologize for not having the chance to update over the weekend. We officially moved into our new house, so we've been very busy! But I'm hoping to sit down, between today and tomorrow, and finish this story up, with the hopes of concluding it by the end of the week! Thank so much for all of your support and feedback!_

_So NOW what do we think is going to happen?! Dun dun dunnnnn..._

_Stay tuned for the next installment..._

_Hugs & Heero,_

_\- RFP_


	11. Baby It's Cold Outside

Relena was shaking like a leaf as she dialed her house number, and waited. Heero stood beside her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Everything will be fine," he murmured, giving her a gentle squeeze.

Relena nodded, even though she knew the opposite was true. Her father answered on the first ring.

"Hello," he said curtly. She could only imagine the look on his face.

"Hi, Daddy," she said softly.

"Relena?!" he thundered. "Where are you?! You were supposed to be home twenty minutes ago!"

"I know, and I'm sorry. We didn't plan on there being a blizzard…"

"Where are you?" John Darlian repeated testily.

"I'm with Heero."

"Where?!"

"At his place."

There was a long, terrifying pause, until Relena heard her father take a deep breath. "Put Heero on the phone."

"Daddy–"

"That wasn't a request."

"But–"

"Now."

Relena turned fearful eyes up to Heero, handing him the phone. "He wants to talk to you."

Heero nodded resolutely. "It's all right. I'll handle it."

Relena wasn't so sure that was possible.

"Hello, Reverend Darlian," Heero spoke calmly into the phone, his expression impassive.

Relena couldn't understand her father's response, but it sounded like he was yelling. She winced and turned away.

"Uh-huh… uh-huh… yeah…" Heero kept his voice monotone. Relena peered over at him to see that his expression remained unchanged. "I see."

Relena could hear her father's voice rising, although she still couldn't make out any words.

"Reverend-" Heero tried to cut in, unsuccessfully. A muscle feathered in his jaw. "Mr. Darlian... Sir…"

This went on for another few minutes. Relena wrung her hands together, wishing she knew what her father was yelling at Heero, yet also not wanting to know.

Finally, Heero's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"With all due respect, I love your daughter, and I would never intentionally put her in harm's way." Heero paused and Relena could hear the muffled sounds of her father shouting his response. She clasped a hand over her mouth, her eyes welling up.

"No," Heero said flatly. "She's staying right here with me. That's final."

And then he hung up the phone. He turned to Relena and met her eyes, giving her a soft smile.

"Well," he said without offering up anything else.

Relena was afraid to ask. "What did he say?"

"Does it matter?" Heero grumbled. "I'm sure you can fill in the blanks."

"Just tell me." Relena gripped his arm. "Am I even going to be able to face my parents again?"

"Your mother, maybe." Heero shrugged one shoulder.

"Heero," Relena groaned, covering her face with her hands.

Heero massaged her shoulders. "Don't worry, honey. Everything will be fine."

"How can you say that?" she moaned through her fingers.

"Because I know," Heero said simply. "This is not a major problem in the scheme of things. Your parents will get over it. We'll all move on. By next year we'll all be laughing about this."

Relena laughed dryly. "If you say so."

"Trust me." Heero gently turned her around to face him. "There are far worse things in life." A cloud seemed to pass over his eyes.

Relena could only imagine the things Heero had seen. She managed a faint smile, and caressed his face lovingly. "You're right. I'm sorry for getting so worked up about this."

"You have nothing to apologize for." Heero took her hands in his, and led her out of the living room, toward a darkened hallway. "Let's go to bed."

"In your bedroom?" Relena halted her steps.

"That's the idea, yeah." He paused to look back at her. "Is… that okay?"

A shiver of anticipation coursed over her and the thought of spending the whole night next to Heero, in the same bed…

Relena flushed. "Well… do you maybe have an extra toothbrush? And pajamas?"

"Toothbrush, yes." Heero smirked at her over his shoulder. "Pajamas… I don't think so."

Relena scoffed playfully. "Of course not."

Before she could say anything else, he was scooping her up into his arms. "Heero!" she shrieked, giggling.

He laughed along with her as he carried her into his bedroom.

* * *

Hours later, Relena was nestled next to Heero in his bed. And even though she felt cozy and safe beside him, and her body was exhausted, her racing thoughts were keeping her awake. She was anxious about facing her parents, despite Heero's reassurance. She wished she could have an ounce of his bravery when it came to them. But Relena always felt guilty about hurting her parents in any way, when they had given so much to her. Without them, she might still be a homeless orphan...

She sighed and flopped over to her other side, away from Heero. She thought he was asleep, but he rolled over at the same time, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest.

"What's wrong?" he murmured into her ear. "Can't sleep?"

"Not really," Relena sighed again.

"You're still worried?"

"Yes," she admitted, squeezing his arms.

"I promise you it will be okay," he said, stroking her hair. "I'll take care of you."

Relena closed her eyes again, and felt her body relax against his soothing touch. "You really meant what you said earlier, didn't you?"

"What's that?" Heero asked sleepily.

"That you love me," she whispered. Her heart was pounding so loudly she wondered if he could hear it.

"Of course I love you." He said it so matter-of-factly, it caught Relena off-guard.

She turned back over to face him, so that they were nose to nose. "Why didn't you tell me that before?"

"I thought I did."

Relena tapped her finger to his nose. "No. I would have remembered that."

"Yes, I did." Heero sounded more awake now. "I told you that I wrote that to you. Remember?"

"You said you 'loved' me, yes," Relena teased. "Past tense."

Heero snagged her by her waist, tugging her toward him. "I still love you. Present tense," he said firmly, pressing their foreheads together. "I never stopped loving you."

Relena's chest constricted, and her throat tightened. "I never stopped loving you, either. I've loved you since we were five years old."

His eyes glimmered in the pale glow of the moonlight filtering through his window blinds. "If that's the case," he murmured, "why won't you just marry me?"

"Oh… I have my reasons." Relena smiled at him and rolled back over, but he was undeterred. He immediately pulled her back against him, securing her with both of his arms.

"Such as?" His breath tickled her neck.

"I have two more years of school left," Relena said. "Then, I'm all yours."

She felt him go rigid against her. "What if I can't wait that long?"

Relena frowned. "We've waited this long. What's a little longer?"

Heero was quiet for several minutes. At last, Relena whirled back around to face him. "Heero?"

He shook his head to the side. "That's not going to work for me, Relena. Now that you're here with me… I can't let you go." His jaw tightened. "I can't lose you again."

"But you won't," Relena said. "If you love me so much, why won't you wait for me?" Once again, she found herself on the verge of tears. "Why would you want me to quit school?"

"I don't." Heero's brow creased. "You can still finish your classes after we're married."

"But I'd have to transfer somewhere closer, and it's not like I have my pick of women's colleges out here." Relena heaved a deep sigh. Heero didn't seem to understand how few options were available to women who wanted to work now that the war was over. But then she supposed she couldn't expect him to understand. "And it's not like you could just walk away from the shop and move closer to me," she added, her frustration mounting. "This isn't as simple as you want it to be, Heero."

"Well, it should be," he muttered. "Why are you making it so difficult?"

"Maybe because I want to have a good education?" Relena snapped. "And a career? Are you saying you have a problem with that?"

"No… but you don't have to work, if you don't want to."

"But I _do_ want to," Relena said emphatically. "I want to be a teacher; it's my dream."

"And you'd be wonderful at it. From what I've seen, you already are." Heero caressed her cheek. "You can do whatever you want, Relena, and I'll support you. I just don't see why we can't do both."

Relena blew out a low sigh. "Because I really don't want to transfer schools. I chose my college for its education program. And even after I graduate, I'll need to get certified to teach in this state…"

"Which you can do here, right?"

"Right…" Relena said slowly.

"So there's nothing to worry about," Heero concluded. "Finish school, Relena. I can get some more help here at the shop, so I can come visit you on weekends."

Relena's heart flipped over. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." Just as he'd done before, he snaked his arms around her. "Relena… don't you think the hardest part is over?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're together now. That's all that matters." He nuzzled her neck. "Do you know how long I hoped I would just live long enough to see you one more time?" He laughed dryly. "I even prayed, and you know I'm not the praying type."

This reminded her of what Duo had told her Heero said about her, but Relena was momentarily distracted by this new revelation. "You prayed… for me?"

"Yeah, I did. I was hoping we would at least see each other again. I never dreamed we'd get to be together like this." He feathered a kiss to her neck. "I love you, Relena. And I believe we can do anything together."

"Heero…" Relena tipped her face toward his. "I love you, too. I'm sorry for being such a worrywart."

"Stop worrying so much, and let me handle things," he chided her, although a smile was playing on his lips. "You're mine now. Let me take care of you."

"You're mine too, you know." She leaned back to kiss him softly on the lips. "Heero?" she murmured when their lips parted.

"Yeah?"

"What was it you said to Duo? When you mentioned me to him?"

Heero paused for a beat, his brows knitting together. "That… you were the love of my life."

"You said that?" Relena blinked at him. "He told me you called me your light, or something… the light that was guiding you home."

"Oh, yeah." Heero shrugged one shoulder. "I might have said that, too. I can't remember word for word."

Relena arched a brow. "You can't remember whether you referred to me as the love of your life or not?"

"What difference does it make? I'm sure you get the gist…"

"Oh, I'd say there's a pretty big difference between being your light, or your love…" Relena teased.

"You're both." And then Heero covered her mouth with his, and Relena decided she was content to let him have the last word.

* * *

_A/N: Happy New Year's Eve, friends! I hope you're having a wonderful last day of the year, wherever you are. Are you ready for 2020? This will mark my 20th year of writing stories for this fandom... How crazy is that?! Still not getting paid to do it, hahaha :P Whatever, it's a labor of love. And I love all of you! Thank you for all of your reviews, favorites, follows and messages over the past year! I don't know what I'd do without you! _

_I wish you a happy and healthy New Year! Stay tuned for the conclusion of this story, then I'll be back to updating Poison & Wine over the next few weeks!_

_Love love love,_

_\- RFP_


	12. Home for Christmas

Christmas Eve was never an easy day for Heero, and today was already shaping up to be a difficult one.

As happy as he'd been to wake up with Relena in his bed, looking like an angel in the morning light with her golden hair fanned all around his pillow... now the tension between them was so taut, Heero felt like he could reach out and snap it, like an invisible wire.

Relena was a ball of nerves beside him as he drove her back to her parents' house. They'd had to wait for the snow to stop, and for the department of public works to clear the roads; by then, it was mid-morning. Heero decided to go ahead and keep the shop closed for the rest of the day; he doubted he would have gotten much foot traffic on Christmas Eve, with or without the bad weather.

Relena's father had phoned Heero's apartment to ensure the two young people would be on their way, and while he hadn't shouted at Heero this time, the Reverend still sounded livid. Heero wasn't afraid of the older man – after all, he'd dealt with far worse – but it wounded him to see how much all of this was affecting Relena. His urge to protect her was stronger than ever, especially since he'd made her his own. She was his heart, his soul, and, if he had his way, his future wife. And that made him responsible for her. Knowing he was also responsible for her pain was nothing short of agonizing. Despite his annoyance toward the Reverend Darlian, Heero knew he had to suck it up and do whatever he could to mend fences between them. The last thing Heero wanted was to start his new relationship with Relena on the wrong foot, and create any division between her and her parents.

But if they refused to let Heero see Relena any more… they were going to have a problem. Heero wasn't going to let anyone separate him and Relena; not now, not ever.

He chuckled inwardly when he thought back to those weeks they'd spent together in the orphanage, how futile a venture it was for the nuns who kept trying to keep them apart. No matter how many times they were smacked with rulers or even physically pried apart, they always found their way back to each other. Looking back, Heero was sure the nuns must have been relieved when Heero's father finally showed up to get him, although dealing with a despondent Relena afterward was probably just as challenging. His chest constricted her at the memory, how she'd cried and reached for him when he was taken away. Odin had just chuckled and said "Atta boy" to Heero as he dragged him off to his new life. If fortune hadn't placed Relena in the same class as Heero, he didn't know what we would have done. He liked to think he still would have found her again, somehow.

He stole a glance of her now, her beautiful face etched in worry. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Heero placed his other hand on her knee. She tensed at his sudden touch, but then Heero felt her relax. She rested a hand on top of his, twining their fingers together. She expelled a deep breath, and Heero gently thumbed the back of her hand.

"I know you're anxious, but this will all be over soon," he said quietly. "We'll get through this, Relena. I promise."

"I know." Relena's voice hitched, but she shot him a brave smile. He glanced over to see tears glisteneing in her eyes. She reached up a hand to dab them away. "I just wish this wasn't so difficult."

"Some things are," he said. "Usually the things worth fighting for."

"Mmm. That's true."

Heero looked over at her again to see that her smile had widened. He smiled right back at her. He'd done so much smiling over the past twenty-four hours, his face was starting to hurt. Relena just had that effect on him.

"You know I'll always fight for you," he added, squeezing her hand in his.

"I'll always fight for you, too."

Heero chuckled. "I know, and I wish you wouldn't. But if you're going to insist on standing up to bullies for me, I ought to at least teach you how to throw a punch."

"Why bother when a good slap is just as effective?"

"Not really. Although I have to admit, I was impressed by your gumption." He found himself grinning at the memory of Relena's delicate hand connecting with Jack Holiday's face, and the look of shock that was scrawled across it. Before he recovered and attacked her, at least. As soon as that image popped back into Heero's mind, his blood began to boil. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "Jackass," he muttered.

"Heero?" Relena was eyeing him quizzically.

Heero blew out a low sigh. "Just thinking of that ass who attacked you."

"Oh, that guy." Relena sighed. "I wouldn't say he attacked me, exactly, although he did ruin my dress..."

"That's assault. He should be in jail," Heero groused.

"Well, then. Technically, so should I," Relena pointed out.

"I don't think so. Notice no one was asking him if _he_ wanted to press any charges."

"True," Relena sighed. "Well, I'll be happy if I never have to see him again, that's for sure." Heero grunted his agreement.

And then they were pulling into the Darlians' driveway. Heero's eyes scanned the familiar surroundings as he maneuvered his truck up the gravel drive, pulling up to the closed garage. He hadn't set foot on their property in… he didn't even know how long. Not since before Relena left for boarding school, anyway. He hadn't kept in touch with Relena's parents, either, not since he'd stopped going to their church. Without Relena there with him, Heero no longer saw the point. Of course, that probably didn't win him any points with her family.

"Here we go," Relena said softly. She squeezed Heero's hand, then leaned over to peck his cheek. He turned his face and stole a kiss on the lips. She smiled at that. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too." Heero kissed her again. "Try not to let this get to you, okay? I'm right here with you."

"I know, and I'm glad." Relena squeezed his hand again. "Okay," she said, a determined look crossing her features. "Let's do this."

God, he loved this woman. Heero found himself smiling at her for what had to be the millionth time since last night.

He climbed out of his truck and went around to help Relena, lifting her out of the passenger seat and placing her carefully on the ground.

"Careful; it's icy," he warned, frowning down at her shoes. "Don't you own any snow boots?"

Relena took Heero's arm and let him guide her up the driveway. "Of course I do, but I wanted to look cute for our date last night." She fanned her lashes at him.

"You always look good without even trying."

"That's what you think," Relena said gleefully. "Which is exactly what I _want_ you to think."

"Well, you don't have to try to impress me; you already know I think you're gorgeous," Heero said.

"Oh, Heero," Relena sighed, gazing up at him with a dreamy expression.

"So next time…" Heero said as they climbed the short set of steps onto the front porch. "Maybe wear something more practical. I'd rather you not fall and break your neck."

Relena rolled her eyes playfully. "You sound just like my mother."

"Your mother's right."

Thankfully, it was Relena's mother who answered the door.

"Good morning, darlings," Mareen said brightly, pulling the door wide open. "Merry Christmas Eve!"

Mareen's blue eyes were sparkling as she leaned forward to peck Relena's cheek, then did the same to Heero. Not for the first time, Heero was struck by how remarkably similar Relena and Mareen were, which was even more apparent now that Relena was a young woman. Their resemblance was almost uncanny; no one would ever guess the two blue-eyed, honey blondes weren't blood-related. Heero had to wonder if that was one reason Mr. and Mrs. Darlian were so attached to Relena; they really saw her as their own daughter. It didn't matter that she wasn't their flesh and blood; Relena was a Darlian, through and through.

They followed Mareen into the foyer, where she took their coats for them and hung them in the coat closet. Which was unnecessary, but Heero was somewhat used to Mareen's hospitality. He hadn't experienced it in a long time, but he remembered how kind and motherly she was toward him when he was a kid. Heero barely remembered his own mother, Aoi, but he was pretty sure she was nothing like Mareen.

For one thing, she didn't decorate for the holidays; at least not like this. The whole house looked and smelled like Christmas, inside and out. Garlands of pine and holly were strung around the windows, railings and columns on the porch outside, covered with white lights that hadn't been switched on yet, but Heero noticed them immediately. There were candles in every window. Heero could only imagine what the big, white Georgian-style home would look like once it was all lit up at night; like a suburban fairytale castle. Fitting for Relena; this house was part of the reason he'd always seen her as a princess.

Inside the house, Mareen's sense of holiday spirit was in full force. The bannister on the staircase was also bedecked with garlands and lights. And from the foyer, Heero could see a massive spruce tree in the living room, impeccably decorated with family ornaments, more holly, lights and tinsel, topped with a glittering star.

But best of all were the scents mingling in the air: pine and spruce, cinnamon, gingerbread and vanilla, and freshly-brewed coffee.

Heero couldn't help but take a deep inhale. Relena noticed and smiled up at him.

"Smells good in here," he commented, feeling a tad embarrassed.

"Thank you, love. I've been baking," Mareen said, motioning toward the kitchen. "How about some muffins, and coffee?"

"Now's hardly the time, Mareen." John Darlian entered the foyer from the living room, looking crossly at Heero and Relena. Heero could practically feel Relena shrinking behind him.

"Hi, Daddy," she said meekly.

"Relena," John said, his jaw clenched. He turned to Heero. "Young man, I'd like to have a word with you."

"Oh, John, not now." Mareen waved a hand. "It's Christmas Eve. Let the two young people enjoy themselves."

John laughed dryly. "I think they already have."

"Daddy, I'm sorry–"

"Why don't you help your mother in the kitchen," John said to Relena, more of a command than a suggestion. His gaze was still fixed on Heero. "Heero, we can go have a chat in my study."

Heero did his best to remain nonchalant. "Sure." He turned to look at Relena, who had gone pale. Heero gave her a wink to reassure her; she gave him a faint smile before they went their separate ways, Relena following after her mother, Heero trailing her father.

The Reverend's study was in a small room down the hall and to the left of the foyer. It was just large enough to be a guest bedroom, but was filled with oak office furniture, including a massive desk cluttered with documents, file folders, and a stack of Bibles. Bookcases lined each wall, and every shelf was filled to the brim. The room smelled of wood and leather, with the aromas from the holiday decorations and baking wafting in.

Heero tried not to let the scholarly atmosphere intimidate him, although he always felt intimidated around academic types. It was a knee-jerk reaction; although he'd always done well in school, he hadn't gone to college since he'd gone straight to the Air Force. At this point he wasn't sure he'd ever bother, not since he'd taken over his father's shop. His future didn't include leatherbound books and degrees like the ones hanging in wooden frames on the wall behind the Reverend's desk. He wondered if the Reverend looked down on Heero because of it. Heero certainly wouldn't blame him.

That and the fact that Heero had insisted on keeping Relena out all night – sleeping at his place, and in his bed, no less – had Heero anticipating that this conversation would be anything but jovial. He gritted his teeth and braced himself for another confrontation with the Reverend.

John Darlian sat down behind his desk and motioned for Heero to sit in one of the empty wooden chairs in front of it. Heero sat warily, trying to think of how he was going to defend his decision to willfully disobey the Reverend's orders last night.

The Reverend leaned forward with his elbows on his desk, steepling his fingers. "Heero…" he started, his voice calmer than Heero expected. "I owe you an apology."

Heero's brows shot up. He quickly worked to recompose his facial expression.

"I shouldn't have blown up at you the way I did." John shook his head, his brown eyes warmer than they had been out in the foyer. "It's not often that I lose my temper like that, and I'm not proud of it." He loosed a sigh, shrugging his shoulders. "It wasn't very pastorly of me."

"It's all right; you're not my pastor," Heero said. He wasn't sure how else to respond to that.

"Not presently," John said. "But I have been in the past, and I would like to be again in the future... if you would consider coming back to church, that is."

Heero shifted uncomfortably in his seat. That, he was not expecting. He could handle a lecture on his lapsed church attendance, though.

"That said…" John leaned back in his seat. "I'd like to clear the air between us. Now, I can appreciate your reasoning for keeping Relena at your place last night, but I hope you understand how inappropriate it was."

Heero nodded once, feeling his jaw tightening. Okay, so he didn't like being lectured, period, even if he understood why the Reverend was doing it.

"I understand," he murmured.

"And it had better not happen again," John added more tersely. "Not unless you plan to marry her; and even then, she can only stay with you _after _you're married." His eyes narrowed. "Like it or not, Relena has a reputation to uphold as a minister's daughter. People talk."

"I'm certain that no one saw us leave this morning," Heero said, not that he thought it would help matters much. "We were very discreet."

"Mm-hmm." The Reverend didn't look impressed. "You are familiar with 1 Thessalonians 5:22?"

Heero shook his head to the side. "I… I'm not sure."

John picked up one of the Bibles from his stack and rifled through it, although Heero was sure it was all for show; undoubtedly, he had the whole thing memorized. The Reverend stopped his finger on a page and turned the book around to face Heero.

"Read that line, please."

Heero peered down at the text in front of him. "'Abstain from all appearance of evil.'"

"Do you know what that means?"

Heero felt his face heating. Did the Reverend think him stupid? "Yes."

"Then tell me."

Heero glowered at him. "It means… avoid doing anything that looks… questionable."

"Exactly right." The Reverend closed his Bible and set it aside. "Christians are to go out of their way to avoid anything that even suggests impropriety." He looked at Heero askance. "So you see… we have a problem here."

Heero nodded, feeling numb.

The Reverend peered closely at him. "Do you intend to ask Relena to marry you?"

Heero blinked, but answered without any further hesitation. "Yes."

John leaned further back in his chair, drumming his fingers on his desk. "And were you planning to ask for my permission?"

Heero's brow furrowed. "Yes… and no."

"No?" John frowned back at him.

Heero straightened in his seat. "I'd like to have your blessing, sir, but ultimately the decision is up to Relena."

The Reverend ran a hand over his chin. "I can respect that."

Heero gaped at him. Was… that it?

"I hope you're planning to do it soon, then," John added. "After last night… word will get around, and I can't have anyone speaking ill of my daughter." His gaze softened, ever so slightly. "Relena… she's all we have. Her mother and I have done our best over the years to guide her and orchestrate her life in a certain way. But, when it comes down to it…" His eyes glimmered. "We just want her to be happy."

"She is happy," Heero said. "And I'll do my best to keep her that way. Always."

"There's more to being a husband than that, you know," John said, and Heero sensed another lecture coming on. "A man needs to provide for his wife."

"I will," Heero said, but the Reverend held up his hand.

"And you need to be the spiritual head of your household."

Heero's brow creased.

"I'm not sure you're ready for that," John sighed. "But… we'll have to take things as they come." His eyes narrowed. "However, now that you and Relena have spent the night together, the situation is dire." His frown deepened. "We'll have to work quickly to mitigate this."

"All right…" Heero said, not sure what he was agreeing to.

"How would you feel about a Christmas Eve wedding?"

Heero's eyes bulged. "As in… today?"

The Reverend nodded once. "Town Hall should be opened by now, but it's also closing early due to the holiday. If you hurry, you may be able to get a marriage license today. Go to the Town Clerk's office and ask for Une; she should be able to expedite it for you."

Heero blinked. "But… I haven't asked Relena to marry me yet." Suddenly, the room felt too stuffy. Heero reached up and tugged at his shirt collar. "We've had one date."

"True, but you had many unofficial dates back when it was against our rules," John said. "But Mareen and I quickly learned that keeping you two apart was useless." He chuckled. "You've made that very clear."

Heero bristled. "That's why you sent Relena to boarding school."

"That's part of it," the Reverend admitted. "Of course, we wanted to give Relena the best education we could afford. But also, we needed to encourage her independence. She had a rather… unhealthy attachment to you."

Heero's face flamed, and his chest heaved. "You kept my letters from her, didn't you." It was a statement of fact, not a question.

"Yes," John said simply, and Heero felt his rage boiling over. "The school forwarded any mail addressed to Relena to me." He frowned at Heero. "Your affection for one another… it wasn't appropriate at that age. You were both far too young to be thinking and talking in those terms. Now, it's a little more palatable."

Heero had to work to keep his breathing calm. He clenched and unclenched his hands into fists as rage flowed through him.

"I understand you're upset about this," John said quietly. "But you must understand: it's a father's duty to protect his daughter. Relena was too young to be serious with someone; why, if I hadn't stopped you, you probably would've gotten her pregnant, and by now you'd have a four or five-year-old and be living in poverty." His eyes gleamed. "You do understand, Heero?"

Heero drew in a ragged breath. "I understand," he gritted out. He felt like punching something, but forced himself to rein in his temper.

"Frankly, it's a wonder I would even allow you two to get married after all this, but I spent all last night praying about it, and I believe this is what God would want. It's my job to counsel you in that direction." John leaned forward and tapped his fingers on his desk, looking at Heero intently. "I want you to do right by my daughter. Understood?"

Heero was still burning inside, but he nodded. "Affirmative."

John cracked a smile. "You can take the soldier out of the war, but you can't take the war out of the soldier, eh?" He pointed to a framed certificate on the wall behind him, one of the few that wasn't an advanced degree. "You know I was around your age when I served in the AEF?"

Heero nodded. He already knew that the Reverend had been in the Army during the first World War, although this was the first Heero had heard him speak of it.

The Reverend picked up a framed photo from his desk and turned it around to face Heero. The photo showed a group of young men in fatigues, each with a face-splitting grin. Heero recognized the younger version of John Darlian instantly.

"I didn't know what to do with myself after it was over," the Reverend said idly, smiling down at the photo. "But I'd always admired my chaplain, so I decided to follow in his footsteps, give the ministry a try, if God saw fit to use me." He shrugged one shoulder. "I never saw myself becoming a husband, let alone a father. Especially after Mareen and I tried, but failed to have children of our own."

The Reverend's smile grew. "Relena is the best thing that's ever happened to us. We truly believe God sent her to us. We love her like she's our own, and we always will."

"I know." Heero felt his anger starting to ebb away. "She's also the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"Then I trust you will love and cherish her," John said firmly. "Marriage is not something to enter into lightly. And even though we may need to put a rush on things, I want to ensure that you both understand what you're getting into." The Reverend sighed and ran a hand on his face. "Unfortunately, we don't have time for marriage counseling, but I do plan to counsel the both of you throughout your marriage." His eyes gleamed. "As your pastor, _and_ your father."

Heero wondered what that would entail, exactly, but felt he had no choice but to agree, if only for Relena's sake. "Yes, sir." But it was odd to think of the Reverend as his father, even father-in-law. The only father Heero had ever really known hadn't wanted to be one at all. It struck Heero then that if he and Relena did marry, he would become part of her family; he didn't have any family for her to join. In a sense, he would be more of a Darlian than she would a Yuy or a Lowe. He wasn't sure how that made him feel, not that he had much time to probe his feelings on a deeper level.

John started getting up from his desk. "Well, why don't we bring Relena into this discussion? She should probably be aware that she's getting married, very shortly."

"Wait." Heero shook his head to the side. "I'd like to have the chance to propose to her, properly. Relena deserves that."

"All right," the Reverend said, frowning down at Heero. "But you had better do it soon; time is of the essence." To wit, he glanced at the watch on his wrist. "Town Hall will be closing shortly, but if you hurry you should be able to get the license today. Then, bring it back to me and I will quickly officiate. We may be able to have the license filed before the end of the day, and then you two will be married in the eyes of God _and_ the state."

Heero's head was spinning. "But… I don't have a ring."

"Not to worry." John moved to the side of his desk and pulled open a drawer. To Heero's astonishment, he brandished a small black velvet box and handed it to Heero.

"What's this?"

"What does it look like?" The Reverend smiled at him. "Open it."

Heero popped open the box to find a brilliant diamond, encircled by more diamonds, on a delicate gold band. He stared down at it, baffled by its sudden appearance. "I… where did this come from?"

"It belonged to Relena's grandmother. My mother," John clarified. "I've had it since she passed away. She said in her will that she wanted to give it Relena one day. Or to one of her suitors, should I find him worthy."

Heero's eyes were moist all of a sudden. "But… I'm not worthy." He snapped the box shut and handed it back to the Reverend. "I'm sorry, but…. I can't marry her."

John's face darkened. "We discussed this. You're going to marry her. I won't have you compromising my daughter's virtue. If you weren't prepared to marry her, then you shouldn't have spent the night with her."

Heero glowered at the older man. He would have lied and said nothing had happened between him and Relena last night, but lying to a minister in his own home… it was just asking God to strike him down.

"And no, you're not worthy of my daughter. You never will be." The Reverend's words sliced the air like a knife. Heero's chest clenched, even though he knew this to be true. "But none of us is worthy of God's love, either, and He offers it freely, at no cost to us other than to follow Him. That's what Christmas is all about."

John handed the ring box back to Heero, pressing it into his hands. "Love is a gift," he murmured. "You don't have to deserve it. All you have to do is give her your love in return."

Heero nodded solemnly. "I can do that."

"I know you can." John reached over and clapped Heero on the shoulder. "Now go propose to my daughter and hurry back here; we've got a wedding to pull off." He glanced down at his wrist again. "And… not a lot of time to do it. I need to get to the church in a few hours to get the building warmed up for tonight's service." His eyes glimmered. "Of course, we could always have the wedding during church… seems appropriate."

Panic gripped Heero like a vise. "Tonight?"

The Reverend grinned at him. "What better time than Christmas Eve? Relena loves Christmas."

Heero nodded, swallowing around a lump in his throat. He knew Relena loved Christmas, but Christmas Eve marked a tragic anniversary for him. Then again… perhaps it was time to let go of the past, and start making new memories with the woman he was going to share every Christmas Eve and Christmas with, from now on.

"All right," Heero said, newly determined. "I'm going to ask her."

The Reverend said something else to him, but Heero didn't hear him. All he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he followed the Reverend out of the study, back down the hall and through the foyer, into the kitchen where he found Relena standing at the kitchen counter, flattening dough with a rolling pin. She and her mother were smiling and laughing together as they worked side by side.

Relena turned when Heero entered the room, and her eyes shone at him. Then she looked from him to her father, and her face fell slightly, worry etched in her features. Heero couldn't wait to tell her there was nothing to worry about, unless the thought of a last-minute wedding terrified her as much as it did him.

But he was determined to go through with it, to do right by her, and to officially make her his own.

And so, half in a daze, Heero wandered over to where Relena stood, and looped an arm around her waist, drawing her to him. He didn't intend to kiss her in front of her parents, but it was happening before he could stop himself. She felt so warm in his grasp, and her scent intoxicated him, mingling with the scent of vanilla and cinnamon from the cookies she was baking.

He felt her lips move tentatively against his before she broke their kiss altogether. She turned questioning eyes up to him. "Heero? What's going on?"

He wondered if his face revealed his nerves, or his desire for her. Or some combination of both. "I need you to come with me," he murmured.

Relena's eyes widened. "Oh… um… all right." She twisted in his arms to look back at Mareen. "Mother?" She looked and sounded as dazed as Heero felt.

Mareen was beaming at them both. "Go ahead, dear. But do hurry back. We have lots of preparations to make for tonight."

Heero knew from the gleam in the older woman's eyes that she was in on the ploy. Which was confirmed when John and Mareen shared a knowing look across the room.

But he'd worry about his scheming inlaws-to-be later. Right now, his focus was on the woman of his dreams.

Heero and Relena left her parents' house together, but they hadn't made it back inside Heero's truck when Relena grasped his coat sleeve.

"Heero… where are we going?"

He turned and smiled at her, and pulled her in for another kiss. And even though they were supposed to be in a hurry, he took his time, savoring the feel and taste of her. Looking forward to doing exactly this, every day, every night, starting tonight, and for the rest of their tomorrows.

Heero pulled back to look at Relena, and she smiled up at him, her heart in her eyes. Her love for him shone unreservedly, and although Heero knew there was nothing he could ever do to deserve it, he knew he was more than capable of giving her all his love in return. He would give her everything he had, and then some, because she was everything to him.

Heero couldn't resist cupping her face in his hands and kissing her again, but first, he needed to answer her question.

"Home," he said, a smile dancing on his lips. "We're going home."

THE END

* * *

_A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's, friends! I hope you're having a wonderful 2020 so far! My goal was to wrap this story up with a neat little bow and have it delivered to you by New Year's Day; well, that didn't quite happen, but better late than never, eh? _

_There MAY be a bonus chapter, but we shall see... stay tuned, just in case! :D _

_Once again, I want to thank each and every one of you who has become invested in this little holiday story. I've been trying to bust my butt and get this out quickly, and your words of encouragement really helped light a fire under my feet! Now to apply that sense of urgency to the rest of my stories... lol :P But seriously, your words mean everything. Thank you from the bottom of my forever fluffy 1xR fangirl heart!_

_Love you!_

_\- RFP_


	13. Two Birds of a Feather

**A/N: What's this?! Bonus content! **

* * *

Relena knew Heero was up to something. What, exactly, she wasn't sure, but he was acting… odd. For one thing, he had a faint smile on his face the entire time they were driving back to his place. Which Relena still didn't understand why they were going back to, after her father had thrown a fit over her spending the night there.

"Heero… what did you and my father talk about?" she asked as he drove.

He shot her a sidelong glance, that smile still playing on his lips. "Hm?"

Relena frowned at him. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah, sorry." He blinked and returned his gaze to the road. "Um… Well, your father actually apologized to me."

Now it was Relena's turn to blink. "He did?"

"Uh-huh. He said he felt bad about blowing up at me, and that he understood why I decided not to drive you home in a blizzard. He also told me it can't happen again, period." He shrugged one shoulder. "Then… we talked a little about his time in the Army. That was about it."

"Right." Relena was relieved the conversation hadn't been more volatile. "Well… I'm glad you two worked things out."

"Me, too," Heero said. And then he went silent, just continuing to smile while he maneuvered the car downtown.

Relena poked his arm. "So… what are you so happy about?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're smiling a lot more than usual," she said pointedly. "I mean… a _lot_."

Heero chuckled. "Aren't I allowed to be in a good mood? It's Christmas Eve."

"Yes, but Christmas Eve is… usually a sad day for you," Relena said softly, laying her hand on Heero's arm.

"Yeah, well. This time I'm with my girl." He glanced over at Relena again, and she could have sworn, his eyes sparkled. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Heero…"

He was pulling his truck in front of his shop. Snow was piled up on the sidewalk. Heero unfastened his seatbelt and turned toward Relena. He leaned over to her and brushed a quick kiss to her lips.

"I'll be right back."

"Can't I come in with you?"

Heero smiled and shook his head. "After last night? We have to watch ourselves, remember?" His smile shifted to more of a smirk, and there was a definite twinkling in his eyes. "This will only take a minute, hun."

"Well, can you at least tell me what we're doing here?"

Heero's eyes crinkled. "I thought I'd gather up those toys to bring over to St. Gabriel's. That is, if that's something you'd like to do…"

Relena's heart leapt. "Oh, Heero!" She clapped her hands together. "That would be wonderful!"

His smile stayed put as he exited his vehicle. Relena watched through the passenger side door as Heero jogged up to the front door of his shop, opened it and slipped inside.

Relena kept her gaze on the nearly-empty, snowy street, but her thoughts meandered back to earlier that morning. Come to think of it, her parents had been acting fishy, too. Relena couldn't help but wonder… knowing her father, the Reverend had probably demanded that Heero marry his daughter to save her reputation. And Heero, being the gallant gentleman that he was, had probably agreed. He had all but asked her to marry him last night; Relena wouldn't be surprised in the least if he ended up proposing to her sometime soon. But the day after their first date?

She shook her head, trying to dispel these nonsensical thoughts. Maybe Heero really was just in a good mood. Maybe it was partially because his talk with her father had gone over much better than they'd thought. And maybe, now that they were together, Heero actually was excited about Christmas. It would be nice, she thought, if she could bring him a little comfort on the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Somehow, on this day that was normally full of sad reminders, he was all smiles. Relena would do anything she could to keep seeing him smile like that.

Relena was so caught up in her stream of thoughts, she hadn't realized Heero had even left the shop, as she heard the driver's side door being opened. She swung around to face him, but her mouth dropped open when she saw it wasn't him standing outside the truck.

"Top ' the mornin', good look– hey!" Duo Maxwell blinked bright blue eyes at Relena. "_You're_ not Sylvie."

Relena flushed up to her hairline as she stared back at Duo with equal shock. "I, ah, no. What are you doing here?"

"'Spose I should ask you the same thing," Duo said with a chuckle, holding the truck door open. "I was just saying hello. Stopped by to shovel and throw some more salt down in front of the shop. I didn't expect to see _you_ here." His lips twitched in obvious amusement.

Relena felt her cheeks flame, despite the cold air seeping in from outside. "Well. You see. Heero and I…"

"What are you doing?" Heero emerged behind Duo outside of the truck, his low baritone cloaked in annoyance.

"Hey-a! Just wishing Miss Lena here a Merry Christmas Eve." Duo grinned sheepishly at Heero, whose eyes had narrowed to slits. Duo let out a nervous chuckle. "I didn't realize you two were–"

"Don't." Heero's hand shot up to grasp Duo's coat collar.

"Heero!" Relena gasped from her seat. "It's all right!"

Heero turned his blazing eyes to Relena. "Hm," he grunted, loosening his grip on Duo. Relena didn't know what he might have done if she hadn't said something; the look in his eyes was downright dangerous.

"Duo was just here shoveling the shop out," Relena said softly.

"Yeah, you're welcome," Duo said jovially. Relena noticed he didn't look affected by Heero's temper in the least. If anything, he looked even more amused.

The fire in Heero's eyes seemed to fade. He released Duo's jacket and took a step back. "Thanks," he mumbled, shifting his gaze to the side.

"No problem, buddy." Duo clapped Heero on the back, impervious to the other man's mood. "Well, uh, sorry for interrupting… whatever you two were up to." He shot Relena a wink, and she worried Heero might actually deck him.

Heero glared at him but just muttered, "It's fine. Merry Christmas."

Duo gave him a lopsided grin. "Merry Christmas, buddy. Nice to see you back with your girl." Then Duo waved to Relena as he sprinted away. "Merry Christmas, Lena!"

Relena laughed and called after him. "Merry Christmas to you, too!"

Heero sighed and climbed into the passenger seat. Relena noticed he was holding a burlap sack tied with rope.

"Wow, looks like you're bringing a lot of toys."

"Yup." Heero slammed the door shut and started up the engine. Relena frowned and leaned closer to him.

"Are you upset that Duo saw us together?"

Heero slid his gaze to her. "No. I just didn't want him getting any ideas and spreading them around. Your father warned me about that, and… I don't want to piss him off any more than I already have."

"I see." Relena pursed her lips. "Well, Duo's your friend. I doubt he'd do anything to upset you on purpose."

"Maybe not, but that doesn't mean he'll give any regard to your reputation." Heero's eyes were troubled.

"Well, I'm not worried about that." Relena flapped a hand. "People are going to talk; let them talk. What do we care?"

"I don't care, but your parents do." Heero's brow creased. "Well, your father does, at least."

At that, Relena giggled. "I don't think my mother was all that upset about our little scandal. She's practically ready to sell me off to the highest bidder."

That earned her a frown from Heero. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means she wants a man to come and sweep me off my feet."

"Oh." To her surprise, Heero's face reddened. Which only made Relena giggle again.

"You're adorable when you're flustered."

He turned to her, his face still flushed, but his smile was back. "I'm not flustered. I was horrified at the notion of Mareen trying to sell her only daughter."

Relena knew he was kidding, but it was so rare that Heero cracked a joke, she burst out laughing.

Moments later, they arrived at St. Gabriel's. The large stone structure nearly shone in the pale, late morning light of the wintry gray sky. The stone work was beautiful, in a haunting, ancient sort of way. Of course, the old rectory turned orphanage was centuries old, but it seemed like thousands. Relena had always wondered if the place was haunted, even though she wasn't supposed to believe in that sort of thing.

But reentering the orphanage with Heero by her side felt like seeing a ghost. Every wall, every corridor held a memory of a time in her life she probably shouldn't remember so well, since she was so young. But the months she'd spent at St. Gabriel's were etched into her subconscious, and reliving her past was all the more vivid and poignant with Heero right beside her. Heero, the boy she'd met in these very halls nearly fifteen years ago to the date. The boy she'd loved ever since.

She grasped his arm as they walked together, to the director's office. They rapped on her door, and an older woman dressed in a black and white habit slowly raised her head from the paperwork spread before her.

"Just a minute, I–" Sister Helen Marie's words evaporated when her golden brown eyes fell on Heero and Relena. "Oh! Oh, good heavens!"

She shot to her feet, and some of her papers scattered to the floor as she looked wildly from Relena to Heero. "Relena? _Heero?_"

Relena laughed and bobbed her torso in a slight curtsy. "Merry Christmas, Sister Helen Marie. It's lovely to see you."

"And it's so wonderful to see _you! _The both of you." The elderly nun stepped around her desk, coming up to the both of them and grasping both of their hands. "You're here. Together." She raised a brow, still beaming at them both. "Not that I'm surprised. You two always were birds of a feather."

Relena laughed again, fighting a blush as she glanced over at Heero. "We're here to deliver some Christmas presents."

"Oh, how thoughtful of you!" Sister Helen Marie squeezed their hands before releasing them, then clapped her own hands together. "The children will be delighted."

"We hope so," Relena said as she watched Heero hand over his bag.

"Sorry they're not wrapped…" he started, as the older woman opened the bag and peered inside.

"That's all right, we can take care of that. Oh…" Her breath caught as she withdrew a wooden train. "These are marvelous! Wherever did you get these?"

"Heero made them," Relena said proudly, hoping Heero wouldn't mind if she shared that fact. She saw a blush tinge his cheeks.

"Why, Heero, these are impeccable," the nun praised him, her brown eyes glimmering. "You do fine work, young man. You ought to go into business, if you haven't already."

"Thank you," Heero said gruffly. But he was smiling.

Relena grinned and gently nudged his elbow, as if to say, _Told you._

"Would you like to meet some of the children?" Sister Helen Marie looked eagerly at both of them.

"Of course," Relena answered, hoping Heero wouldn't mind. She knew how difficult it was for him being back there, but it was difficult for her, too… although much less so, now. With Heero by her side, she felt like she could face anything.

"So," Sister Helen Marie asked as they followed her down a white corridor, which would have been stark if not for the stained glass windows that lined it. "How have the two of you been? What's new in your lives?"

When Heero didn't answer right away, Relena took the lead. "Well, I'm going to school for education…"

"Oh, that's wonderful," Sister Helen Marie said, turning back to smile at Relena. "You'll make a fine teacher, I'm sure."

"Thank you," Relena said. "And Heero served in the Air Force and now runs his father's shop downtown."

"Yes, I'd heard about that," the nun said, looking at Heero fondly. "Thank you for your service." Heero bobbed his head, looking bashful again. "I must say, it's so lovely to see the two of you, together like this. Are you _going_ together?" There was nothing ambiguous about her question.

Heero surprised Relena by answering for them. And his choice of words surprised her even more.

"We're getting married," he said simply, and his voice didn't betray a single emotion.

The older woman gasped in delight. "How marvelous! When is the wedding?"

Heero winked at Relena. "As soon as she says yes."

Relena gawked at him. How was she supposed to respond to _that_?

Her mind was whirring as she and Heero followed Sister Helen Marie to the rec room, where several children were stationed at various activity centers, some drawing, some reading quietly, some playing with blocks, toy cars or dolls. Her heart went out to each one of them, as she remembered what it felt like to be in their shoes. She could tell from the look on Heero's face that he felt the same way, a mixture of sorrow and wistful nostalgia gracing his features. But, oh, she was still annoyed at him for his little comment, and what Relena expected was a full-blown plot between him and her parents. How dare they try to design her whole future without even consulting her! Once they were alone again, Relena was going to let Heero have it.

She planned to do just that after they said goodbye to the children and Sister Helen Marie, but instead of heading for the main set of doors, Heero took Relena gently by the arm and steered her down another corridor.

"What are you doing?" Relena blurted.

"I want to show you something." Heero looked back at her, his eyes glinting mischievously; it was such a playful, boyish expression, Relena was having a hard time staying angry with him. So she sighed and traipsed after him.

He stopped when they reached a familiar set of stairs. Heero released her arm and turned to her, all smiles again. And then he sat right down in the stairwell. "Remember this?"

Relena smiled and perched on the step above his. "I do. We had a lot of good times right here."

Heero chuckled. "We certainly did." He reached up and snatched a lock of her hair, twirling it between her fingers. "I seem to remember asking you to marry me, way back then."

Relena rolled her eyes playfully. "That was only because I told you I wanted to be a princess when I grew up, but I would need to marry a prince. You assured me that you were one."

"I may have lied about that," Heero quipped.

"Heero," Relena said with a sigh, resting an elbow on her knee, sinking her cheek into her palm. "Why did you lie about us getting married? To a nun, no less?"

He balked at her. "That wasn't a lie. We are getting married."

"Well, that's news to me," Relena huffed, sitting up straighter.

Heero's eyes were dancing up at her. "I seem to recall asking you to marry me several times last night."

She folded her arms over her chest and glared at him. "That may be, but we haven't decided anything, officially."

Heero's brows knit together. "Hm. I could have sworn…" Then his eyes sparked. "Anyway. I have something else to show you."

Relena rolled her eyes at him again, although she had to admit, she was quite enjoying their little reunion tour. "All right, if you must…"

This time they headed for the main set of doors, back outside into the cold. But Heero wasn't leading them back to his truck; instead, he veered left, and turned onto a brick-lined path. Relena followed him into the courtyard, where a garden bloomed in the warmer months. But after the recent snowfall, the trees and grounds were all bedecked in sparkling white. Relena's eyes lapped up the scene; it was straight out of a fairytale.

_We're riding along with the song of a wintry fairyland…_

Heero took Relena's hand and guided her over to a snow-covered gazebo, which looked like it had been sprinkled in fairy dust. St. Gabriel's rose up behind it, a mountain of stone, capped with snow.

Before Relena could register what was happening, Heero was lowering himself to one knee, keeping her hand in his.

"Heero?" His name came out in a breathy gasp. "What are you…"

"This is the first place I ever saw you," he said, gazing up at her with unabashed fondness in his eyes. "You were making snow angels, but the moment the nuns brought me out here to meet the other kids, you leapt up out of the snow and ran right up to me." He chuckled, his low voice rumbling, as tears sprang to Relena's eyes. "You were the only one. No one else seemed to care that I existed." He turned her hand over in his, pressing a kiss to her palm. "You held out your hand and introduced yourself, and I was so… stunned by you, I didn't know what to do or say. You were wearing this blue coat, snow all over it and stuck in your hair and… I thought you were an angel."

Tears slipped down Relena's cheeks. "Heero…"

"I'd never met anyone like you," he murmured, his eyes holding hers ransom. "And I haven't met anyone like you since. You…" His brow furrowed slightly as he seemed to search for his words. "You are the most precious part of my life, Relena. I will love and cherish you, always. That is, if you'll have me."

Relena's heart seized as Heero reached inside his coat, and pulled out a wooden box. His lips twitched as he placed it in her hand.

"This was going to be your Christmas present," he said. "Sorry that it's early."

"I… I don't even have anything for you," she whispered, instantly feeling guilty. "I was planning to go shopping sometime today, but… the snow, and…"

"It's all right." Heero smiled reassuringly at her. "You've already given me the best possible gift."

"You mean... the sex?" Relena squeaked, her cheeks heating. An unexpected laugh boomed from Heero's chest.

"That's… not what I meant." His eyes gleamed at her. "Now, go ahead. Open it."

First, Relena had to admire the carpentry. For this was no ordinary box… it was carved into the shape of a house, with a heart on the door, and vines of roses arching over it. It was… absolutely exquisite, like all of Heero's handiwork.

"You made this?" she whispered, astonished. He nodded.

"There's more," he said. "Open it."

Relena quickly realized the roof of the house was a lid. She pulled it open and peered inside.

She gasped, and nearly dropped the box.

"Heero!"

He smiled up at her. "Do you recognize that?"

Her hands were shaking. Relena reached inside the box and retrieved the diamond ring, which sparkled brilliantly against the snow. "It was my grandmother's." Her eyes immediately welled. "My father… gave this to you?"

Heero nodded, and Relena's heart constricted. "He's making you marry me, isn't he?"

He chuckled and reached for her free hand. "I want to marry you, Relena. You already know that." He frowned slightly. "But… he is insisting that we do it much sooner than later."

Relena arched a brow. "How soon?"

Heero gave her an almost sheepish look. "Tonight."

"Tonight?!" Relena shrieked.

No, no, no. This wasn't right. Not at all. She was _fuming._

Heero's face fell, and Relena immediately felt terrible. She wasn't trying to hurt him. "Heero…" she said softly, bending toward where he still knelt on the ground. "It's not that I don't want to marry you… I do. I just want it to be our decision. When we're ready."

"I am ready," he murmured, reaching up to tuck a finger under her chin, drawing her face closer to his. "I'll marry you any time, anywhere, Relena Peacecraft Darlian."

Her breath caught, hearing him use her full name. "Am I going to be a Yuy, then?"

His eyes glimmered. "That's entirely up to you. You can keep your name. You can be whatever you want. I just want you."

She nodded briskly, tears running freely down her face. "I want you, too. Forever."

Heero's face was mere inches away, but his eyes seemed to sift her soul. "Then, Relena… Will you marry me?"

She cupped his face in her hands, smiling through her tears. "Yes, Heero. I thought you'd never ask." She grinned as he laughed at her little joke, then closed the distance between them, capturing her lips with his. He pulled her tightly against him and deepened the kiss, and Relena was half-leaning on him when they both toppled over, into the snow.

Relena shrieked as the box and her new engagement ring slipped from her hand. "Heero! The ring!"

"Got it." He smiled and plucked it from the snow, then wiped it on his jacket before holding it out to Relena. "May I?"

She flushed and extended her left hand, and Heero slipped her grandmother's diamond onto her ring finger.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, holding out her hand and admiring the way the ring sparkled up at her.

"It's perfect for you," Heero murmured, tracing his fingers over hers. "But… if you decide you'd like something else, you can pick out whatever you want, and I'll get it for you."

"Oh, no, this really is perfect. I'd always admired Nana's ring growing up, and she told me she wanted to give it to me, one day." She blinked back a fresh wave of tears. "She'd be so happy to know you're the one who gave it to me."

"She would?" Heero's eyes brightened. "I always liked her."

"She liked you, too. I'm glad you got to meet her."

"So am I." Heero reached up and brushed his knuckles against her cheek. "So… are you ready to go get married?"

Relena laughed dryly. "Do I have a choice?"

Heero tipped his head to the side. "Of course. But I'd like to avoid having your father march us down the aisle with a shotgun to our backs. At least this way, he'll stay out of our hair."

"That's true…" Relena sighed, realizing this crazy idea might actually have some merit. "Well… at least we'd get to spend the night together again. Tonight."

On Christmas Eve, as husband and wife.

Relena flushed and looked shyly at Heero, who had a glazed look in his eyes. She wondered which part of the previous night's activities he was remembering when he cradled the back of her neck and kissed her, hard.

"We'd better get married soon, because I intend to spend the whole night ravishing you," he whispered raggedly.

Relena gave his chest a playful push. "After church."

He huffed a laugh. "Right. _After_ church. Bless my soul," he added wryly.

Relena rolled her eyes at him. Heero rose to his feet and helped Relena back up, keeping her hands in his. "But first… we need to go to Town Hall."

Her nose wrinkled. "Is it even open, still?"

"It should be, but we have to hurry." Heero wrapped an arm around Relena's waist, pulling her against his side, and they began to walk back to his truck.

Relena couldn't help but laugh as they strolled along. "This is crazy."

"It is," Heero agreed. "But the sooner we're married, the sooner we can go back to doing what we do best…"

Relena gasped playfully. "Heero Yuy, is that why you're marrying me?"

Heero paused outside of St. Gabriel's and flashed Relena a smile. "Absolutely."

Then he pulled her tightly against him and kissed her senseless.

* * *

_A/N: You asked for it, and I'm a sucker, so here you go: a proposal scene... and... possibly a wedding scene? Guess you'll have to stay tuned and find out!_

_Teeheehee..._

_\- RFP_


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